Review of Fearless (1993) by James H — 01 Mar 2005

Peter Weir is a great and powerful of all filmmaker who is responsible for the masterpiece [i]Witness[/i], the good films [i]The Mosquito Coast, Dead Poets Society [/i]and [i]The Truman Show[/i], as well as the more recent [i]Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World[/i], an extraordinary motion picture. A film that has been almost ignored in his filmography is one of only 3 films he directed in the 90's. It's a powerful achievement called [i]Fearless [/i]and it features Jeff Bridges and Isabella Rossellini in two of the greatest performances of their careers.

Bridges is Max, who we meet as he is appearing out of the smoke from a devastating plane crash. He is leading a few other survivors out of a corn field and shortly after flees the scene in shock. Weir's directing is very quiet and the camerawork is smooth, which is what makes the emotions of Max even more affecting as he stares into a mirror at his own eyes in a hotel room and tells himself "I am not dead". He believes that he is a ghost waling among the living, and the entire movie is about his affect on everyone around him. It's an emotional ride that hits you very deep. There are some missteps this film takes here and there and some of the acting by the supporting cast is just plain awful, but the film's emotional impact and the talent Bridges brings leaves you in awe. Rossellini has always been an amazing actress, and as Max's confused and distraught wife she becomes the part fully making it hard to believe that anyone else could play the part.

This film received only one Oscar nomination when it was released 12 years ago, and that is for Rosie Perez's performance as Carla, a fellow survivor that confides in Max. Perez is most definitely not bad in the part, but I don't believe it is in any way worthy of a nomination, especially not more than the heartbreakingly stunning performances from Bridges and Rossellini. Among the other supporting cast who lend good performances are John Turturro as a pushy therapist, Tom Hulce as a settlement starving attorney, and Benicio Del Toro as Carla's careless husband. It was good to see Hulce again, an actor who never really did much after the brilliant [i]Amadeus [/i]other than the terrific and underrated film [i]Parenthood[/i]. Turturro and Del Toro have always been two of the best supporting actors in the movies and they display that once again here.

It's really too bad that I couldn't go higher than and 8 for this film, because I very much wanted to. It has all the makings of a masterpiece, and with a few minor arrangements it could have been. Although this isn't the top of the line when it comes to Weir's great films it most definitely is right up there and I feel it is way too underrated. I can't think of many films that have ever been like [i]Fearless[/i], it's an original piece of work.