Fearless (1993)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

hyped garbage

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

The movie tells the story of the survivor of an air plane accident that has actually taken place in Sioux City. Jeff Bridges was never better than here and he captured me with his amazing performance. What I liked the most in the film is that it made me think that the battles we give every day in our lives, in order to face our problems, are battles we just have to give, because that's what life is about. A must see!

Like many people, I started watching "Fearless" without great anxiety or grand expectations. I had heard it was a good movie and that Jeff Bridges' performance was somewhat memorable in contrast to his other work.What I got however, was a beautiful film about the understanding of our own inner fears, whether they are justified or not, and by extension, our established concepts of life and death.Although I'm not giving away direct spoilers, some of the analysis might prove to show minor aspects of the narrative.We start off moments after the tragic plane crash and we are soon shown that Max, our lead character, is not reacting to his near death experience the way we would normally expect. He seems calm and not very interested in giving interviews or even getting medical attention.As the narrative progresses, we notice how other survivors deal with their horrific experience and it becomes clearer that, when people endure through such an overwhelming experience, their own psychological reactions are not really alike. That is, people's own personal experiences and fears shape how their minds are going to process such an unusual and traumatic incident. This notion is very well constructed throughout the film due to some fantastic acting, specially on Rosie Perez's part, and great writing. Indeed, the supporting cast is very well written and the characters around Max are three dimensional and pose interesting ideas all trough the film.Even still, what makes this film great and unforgettable is the constant existential debate of what it truly means to be living, backed by, in my opinion, Jeff Bridges's greatest performance yet. After surviving the plane crash, Max loses the sense of fear as he comes to the conclusion that life and death are, ultimately, out of our control. With that said, is there necessity for rational fear or any instinct of preservation?The ending serves as an interpretation of the answer to this question. It only helps that the final crash scene is one of the most memorable and emotional scenes I have ever seen. We are shown how terrifying and destructive the sight of a disaster can be. The final scene works almost as a film in its own right by showing how people try to cope with the fact that death is imminent, and at the same time beautifully showing Max's transition into the mind state he was in through the entire film up until the end.It is hard to understand how such a film is not more broadly known and praised. Perhaps a more thorough study of the marketing process or the box office context could serve as an answer, but not an excuse. Jeff Bridges is sensational and delivers a dominant performance. He truly is one of the most underrated actors of his generation. After seeing this film, I doubt many would disagree with me. In the end, Peter Weir's "Fearless" stands on its own as one of the great movies from the 90's, even if not many people are aware of it.

From Peter Weir comes a truly wonderful film, that is intense and harrowing, beautiful and heart rending. It does drag in the middle half, and John Turturo's part is underwritten, but this is a remarkable film. The crash scenes are certainly very harrowing, but it is in the performances, music score and direction that Fearless really soars. The script is surprisingly intelligent, the story and its themes is compelling and the cinematography is absolutely gorgeous. Fearless is brilliantly directed as is usually the case with Weir, and the score is one of the most haunting and emotional scores I have ever heard in a film, and I have heard a lot of them. The performances though are pretty much outstanding, bringing to life complex characters. Jeff Bridges is in my opinion a very underrated actor, and certainly a talented one. Here he gives one of his best performances as a man who is thrilled by the fact that he survived death and is convinced he is immortal. Isabella Rossellini is also remarkable as the loving wife, and Tom Hulce is fine as the well meaning attorney. And despite his underwritten role, John Turturo does what he can. But for me, the best performance came from Rosie Perez, she was truly captivating and absolutely believable as the mother who lost her young child and now completely overwhelmed by guilt and pain. Fearless isn't a very easy film to get into first time, it is emotionally heart wrenching and I think ambitious as well, the ending is proof of that. Overall, a wonderful film, minor flaws abundant but a film that deserves more recognition. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Fearless (1993)Peter Weir has directed some great, unique movies--Galipoli and Picnic at Hanging Rock are two of my favorites. So I watched this with curiosity at first. And then boredom. And then a kind of draining disappointment. I can see how the drama, and the various characters involved in it, might really draw someone in and move them. So this is just my own take on it, a fair balance to the others, I hope.The shock of being in a plane crash is played out by Jeff Bridges as a young professional who survives. This is gripping enough in the first scenes. This survival is played out through Bridges over the next fews days as he visits other survivors and sees the range of their inabilities to cope. Throughout, Bridges is asked to play with a calm that at first seems to be a blank slate for our growing into his complexity. His own complete acceptance and almost joy at having survived seems to have no down side, except having to run from television cameras or stand on rooftops screaming. Normal things, I suppose. This is how we are made to see his mind working through the horror he has repressed. But the blankness is a cover for an unresolved shock, and this doesn't unfold easily. Von Trier or Bergman or even Hitchcock might have made art out of this, but Weir can't pull it off. His earlier movies are gems of situation, of how groups of people behave within circumstances. Fearless is different in that it goes inward, trying to be about a person's mind. And yet, Weir still plays Bridges as if he were foremost a character among other characters. When we do go inward, it is mostly through his memories of the event, which are given predictable elements of fear and horror. (It's a plane crash, after all.) As for how Bridges copes, you will see either beatific gazes or screaming to himself.The basic idea is great movie material, but I didn't find the psychology convincing. The writing is stilted and worn out before it starts. The narrative is broken up with cheap flashbacks and with irrelevant and unconvincing scenes of tacky lawyers looking for money. Clichés. Even the extended and manipulative ending, which by that point is so unnecessary and indulgent for all its fire and visions of heaven, just leaves you feeling battered.