IMDb > Fearless (1993)
Fearless
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Videos (see all 2)
Fearless (1993) -- A man's personality is dramatically changed after surviving a major airline crash.
Fearless (1993) -- Movieplayer.it - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   9,074 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Rafael Yglesias (novel)
Rafael Yglesias (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Fearless on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
15 October 1993 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Some people are afraid of nothing.
Plot:
A man's personality is dramatically changed after surviving a major airline crash. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(27 articles)
User Comments:
jeff bridges at his best more (95 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Jeff Bridges ... Max Klein

Isabella Rossellini ... Laura Klein

Rosie Perez ... Carla Rodrigo

Tom Hulce ... Brillstein

John Turturro ... Dr. Bill Perlman

Benicio Del Toro ... Manny Rodrigo
Deirdre O'Connell ... Nan Gordon
John de Lancie ... Jeff Gordon (as John De Lancie)
Spencer Vrooman ... Jonah Klein
Daniel Cerny ... Byron Hummel

Eve Roberts ... Gail Klein
Robin Pearson Rose ... Sarah
Debra Monk ... Alison
Cynthia Mace ... Cindy Dickens
Randle Mell ... Peter Hummel
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Joyride (USA) (working title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for language and airplane crash realism.
Runtime:
122 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Mel Gibson was offered the role of Max. more
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: When Max Klein is spinning on the corner of the roof, his wireless microphone pack can been seen on his lower back. more
Quotes:
Max Klein: [talking to God] You want to kill me but you can't! more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Concerto No.5 in E Flat for Piano and Orchestra more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
52 out of 57 people found the following comment useful.
jeff bridges at his best, 21 July 2004
Author: eht5y from United States

Jeff Bridges has been called the most underrated actor of his generation, and 'Fearless' speaks to the truth of such a claim. Equally overlooked is Australian director Peter Weir, who, like Bridges, was snubbed by the Academy Awards for 'Fearless.' The film was almost totally ignored by the Academy, perhaps due to the fact that 1994 was the year of the historical/political epic--'Schindler's List,' 'In the Name of the Father,' and 'The Remains of the Day' were the big winners that year, casting a bit of a shadow over a film about a rich white American suffering from PTSD.

Based on the novel by Rafael Yglesias, 'Fearless' is the story of Max Klein, a successful San Francisco architect who survives a horrific plane crash. Among the casualties of the crash are Klein's partner and best friend and the only child of Carla (Rosie Perez), a young Puerto Rican woman from Oakland who blames herself for her son's death. Prior to the accident Max suffered from an acute fear of flying; when the plane goes down, his fear becomes so intense that he accepts death. When he survives the crash, he suffers from a form of post-traumatic stress syndrome in which he can no longer feel fear because subconsciously he has already faced death. His condition creates a rift between himself and his family, a gap he tries to fill through a friendship with Carla, who is similarly afflicted with PTSD.

Bridges gives a tour de force performance as Max, who is simultaneously heroic (he leads other passengers to safety believing he is guiding them out of the plane into heaven) and contemptible (he is unspeakably cruel to his family and leaves his wife temporarily to pursue a relationship with Carla).

He's not sure whether he's alive or dead, and he is frequently drawn to test his fear and uncertainty through ludicrously dangerous stunts like dancing on the edge of a skyscraper's roof or walking calmly into speeding traffic. It's an unflinching and emotionally honest portrayal of a psychologically damaged man unsure that he has the strength or will to be healed.

Equally stunning is Rosie Perez as Carla, a devout Catholic who believes that her baby's death is a punishment from God and is nursed back to normalcy by the agnostic Max.

Other supporting actors are also captivating: Isabella Rosselini as Max's wife Laura, who loves her husband desperately but is unable to cope with Max's alienation from her and their son Jonah; Tom Hulce as an overeager but well-meaning attorney suing the airline on behalf of Max, his partner's family, and Carla; John Turturro as a psychiatrist specializing in PTSD hired by the airline to help the survivors cope with the after-effects of the tragedy; and Benicio Del Toro as Carla's husband, a poor carpenter who can't help but feel giddy about the possibility of making millions off of his son's death. Perhaps most moving is Deirdre O'Connell as the widow of Max's partner--the scene in which Max arrives at her home to confirm that her husband did not survive the crash will break the hardest of hearts.

The film is brilliantly directed by Weir, who captures the surreal nature of Max's condition masterfully.

'Fearless' is not an easy film to get through, perhaps even moreso in the wake of 9/11. The subject matter is emotionally wrenching, and its presentation is utterly unsentimental. Max is heroic, but he is also a victim, and Bridges' performance captures the tension between Max's newfound love of life and his near-psychotic need to continually face and overcome his fears. It's a tear-jerker, and it's certainly haunted by the ghosts of the dead, but it's well-worth watching if only for the pleasure of seeing one of the best actors in the business at his best.

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
How could he have seen partner's decap. if he moved up to sit w/ boy? amili
Oscar Nomination. Panterken
Crash script based on true events - more detail here... 20thCentury
Bridges IS Jesus... niall-mcmahon
his life before accident bmaag-2
Question About the Ending rjames1973
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