Under Pressure makes fascinating comparison to Falling Down (1993), a film that similarly dealt with the psychopathology of everyday frustration and concerned a man who suddenly snaps and takes armed vengeance against those who don’t adhere to his strict code of expectations. Where Falling Down didn’t consciously construe itself as a psycho film but rather expected audiences to take sympathy with its redneck frustrations, Under Pressure however does. Indeed Under Pressure could almost have been construed as a liberal rejoinder to Falling Down. Contrast, for example, two remarkably similar scenes in both films – one in Falling Down where Michael Douglas beats up a Korean shopkeeper, all the while ranting about minorities; versus the scene here where Charlie Sheen murders an Asian refrigerator repairman, where the inherent racism is given an open and blatantly nasty kick. Indeed Under Pressure is so liberal and responsible in its outlook that it even has Mare Winningham questioning the wisdom of husband David Andrews’ immediate response to go out and arm themselves when Charlie Sheen starts acting threatening.

Although Under Pressure adheres to genre formula, it is quite well written within that. It does a number of parts of the formula rather well – especially the scenes with the police investigating the complaint against Charlie Sheen and not only dismissing it, saying they haven’t the power to do anything in the situation, but being charmed by Charlie’s presence and going away convinced that David Andrews is a wife beater. There’s some particularly good tension generated by Craig R. Baxley in the scenes with the cops entering Charlie’s house and during the climactic game of Russian Roulette.