Review of Fearless (1993) by Briain D — 26 Dec 2011

Not sure whether to go for 4 or 4.5 for this film. It's fantastic. Jeff Bridges gives the performance of a lifetime, which, despite my early skepticism, blew me away. He plays Max, a survivor of a plane crash, who then believes he is invincible. Through a therapist (Turturro) hired by the airline, he is introduced to another survivor, Carla, who lost a baby son in the crash. Max, along with Carla, enters a journey through life and through the past. He takes risks he would never and should never take, putting his life in danger numerous times. In doing so, he moves ever closer to Carla but distances himself from his family and his mental health. Despite Turturro's attempts to help him, Max's trauma deteriorates consistently. In the end, it's up to him, with assistance from Carla, to save himself.

My main qualm with the film is the abundance of narrative lulls that occur in the earlier parts of the film. At more than one occasion, I was about to stop watching; only Bridges' wonderful performance kept my attention. And Turturro's well played, albeit minor, role too. Despite this, the picture takes off rapidly from the midpoint and I was glued for the latter half. it became an engrossing, captivating insight into a mentally sick man's mind and an effective portrayal of his rocky road to recovery.

This aside, Fearless is a wonderful picture.