Fearless (1993)

A man's personality is dramatically changed after surviving a major airline crash.

Director:

Peter Weir

Writers:

Rafael Yglesias (novel), Rafael Yglesias (screenplay)

Stars:

Jeff Bridges, Isabella Rossellini, Rosie Perez

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 7 nominations.

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

Storyline

After a terrible air disaster, survivor Max Klein emerges a changed person. Unable to connect to his former life or to wife Laura, he feels godlike and invulnerable. When psychologist Bill Perlman is unable to help Max, he has Max meet another survivor, Carla Rodrigo, who is racked with grief and guilt since her baby died in the crash which she and Max survived.

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Plot Keywords:

guilt | grief | disaster | one word title | christ figure | 

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Taglines:

Some people are afraid of nothing.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and airplane crash realism

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 November 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Joyride

Filming Locations:

Arvin, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$6,995,302

Company Credits

Production Co:

Spring Creek Productions, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Hero (1992) and Fearless (1993) are two movies based around very similar subject matter released almost exactly a year apart. About half a dozen cast and crew worked on both pictures. These included actor William Newman, actress Cordis Heard, stunt-man Gene Hartline, casting director Howard Feuer and both uncredited, ADR voice artist Tom Lent, and oboe soloist musician Tom Boyd.

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Goofs

When Klein is driving his town car in the desert, we first see the license plate (from the front) as 2ZRM111; as he drives away a few minutes later, the rear plate shows 2ZRM120.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Cop: [seeing more survivors] Hey, there's more over here! Bring another team! Another team here by the tail! We're going to need a lot more help.

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Connections

Referenced in Rolf De Heer (2008)

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Soundtracks

CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL
Arranged by Leroy Anderson

User Reviews

A transcendental blending of music and film.

None of us can view a movie objectively apart from the sum of who we are. Having a classical music background, I am always keyed into a film's use of music. Fearless reminds me that the combination of music and film is an art form which has been sadly neglected in modern culture and trashed by MTV. This movie is high art. The final sequence is emotionally and spiritually a transcending experience, illustrating the bittersweet reality of human existence. An experience not available through words, music, or images on their own. I cried like a baby. Movies tend to be built upon a setup and a payoff. Tension and release are the common currency for most art. I have never seen a better cinematic payoff than the one Fearless provides. And that's because the setup is flawless. There is endless brilliance here in the telling of the story. Don't miss the use of light. Light flashing across Max's face when death is at the door; in the plane and the car scene with Carla.(If possible, Fearless might have been even more effective in black and white.) The subtle transition to slow motion during the scene with Carla and the baby at the mall. Jeff Bridges is irresistible in this performance. His character has been translated out of the realm of corporeal perspective.(As demonstrated through his allergy to strawberries.) When he walks through the plane and assures the passengers that everything will be fine, I believed him. His appearance is almost a religious experience. But his serenity cannot last. He must be reborn into the frailties of human existence or he will be estranged from the world. And that is the payoff. The glorious payoff in which death in an airplane crash becomes a poetic vision of the human experience. We live, we die, but we imbue the universe with a greater purpose even if there is no god to acknowledge it. I hope history will judge this movie to be a classic, unappreciated in it's time. This is Peter Weir's masterpiece. It's hard for me to believe that he could follow this effort with the extremely banal and uninspiring "Truman Show" But I suppose even Mozart had off days.