Customer Reviews

Fearless [VHS]

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

This is a fabulous film. Emotionally deep, flawlessly directed and acted, without a false note throughout.

Jeff Bridges is (as always) excellent as a man who has undergone a transcendent experience so profound he cannot find his way back to his real life and world. Rosie Perez is not always my favorite actress, but here she is deeply moving as the guilt-racked, nearly destroyed mother of a dead child. The interplay between these two as they relate to each other and cannot relate to their families is told simply and eloquently, building to a shattering emotional climax.

Throw in terrific supporting performances by Isobella Rosselini as Bridge's loving wife who wants to reach him but cannot find the key to understanding his experience, Tom Hulce as a weasel lawyer, Benecio Torres as Rosie's husband who sees no harm in getting money for the tragedy and you have a full cast of three dimensional characters.

Oh, and there is a frightening plane crash that is grippingly done.

First rate in all departments, I originally thought this DVD needed to be in widescreen, but I have been advised that Pan and Scan is not used, and what you get is pretty much the movie as it was presented in the theatre. Others say no. I agree with many of you that a better presentation of this film would be nice (Criterion?). It is a film of great depth and beauty and well worth your while.

Fearless is like no other movie, it treads in dangerous water. The story follows a plane crash survivor and the trauma that affects him and changes his day to day life. In many ways, the viewer comes to realize that what Max Klein is going through is actually far worse than being killed in the crash he survives. Fearless is a life affirming experience and an important overlooked film. Jeff Bridges may be the most underrated American actor of his time and he turns in another stellar performance here. I was also surprised by the range of Rosie Perez who gives a great performance as a crash survivor who loses her 2 year old son. Peter Weir is a master director and the use of sound in this film is astonishing. This movie has one of the best endings I have ever seen. Buy this DVD.

This is a "change your life" type of film.

A survivor of a plane crash must come to terms with this new and improved, awakened and liberated version of himself, this version of himself that has suddenly been unburdened of a lot of timidity and fearful emotional baggage he'd been lugging around through his adult life.

And those around him must also come to terms with this radically changed person that has emerged in the wake of his Near-Death-Experience.

The movie is beautifully acted. Bridges' performance is exceptional, perhaps his finest. As are the performance given by Perez and Rossellini and the rest of the cast. Weir's directing is superb and sublime. The script is a beautiful distillation of finer points of the novel of the same name; and the use of time in this novel is brilliant. And the music ................. what can I say: this is one of my favorite soundtracks.

This is movie of profound substance, profound enough to disturb, to awaken, to cause one to question one's life, perhaps even to effect real change. As Kakfa wrote, in a letter to a friend, "I think we ought to read only the kind of books that wound and stab us. We need the books that affect us like a disaster, like the death of someone we loved more than ourselves, like being banished into forests far from everyone, like a suicide. A book must be the ax for the frozen sea inside us." I think Kafka would have really liked this film as it has high ax potential.

Very highly recommended.

This film spoke to me in a way that no other film has. It is about a man (superbly played by the under-rated Jeff Bridges) who survives a plane crash and finds that he cannot communicate anymore with those closest to him. His personal axis has shifted. It is as if they no longer speak his language. He is introduced to a fellow crash survivor (Rosie Perez in her best role) whose child died in the tragedy. Because of their shared experience he can talk with her on an even level of understanding, but finds his grip on life and reality slowly slipping away from him. This is a deeply moving and spiritual film. It is intelligently written (Rafael Yglesias adapted his own novel), and in a strong career I feel that this is director Peter Weir's best film. Also, the use of Gorecki's Symphony No. 3 is a masterstroke and beautifully underscores the affirmative ending. I have seen this film many times and it still deeply affects me, a resonance that reaches beyond the screen. It is a compassionate, thoughtful and ultimately uplifting exploration of faith and redemption. I can't recommend this film enough, particularly to those who are troubled and feel that their voice cannot be heard. On a different note: Being a serious film buff, I find it a shame that this wonderful film was not released in the widescreen format on DVD. I would hope that for a future re-release this situation is remedied.

The jet is in a dive toward the earth. It is out of control and cannot be saved. Can anyone survive the impact? What if you were on the plane and fate brought you through? That is the drama - how to live with the reality that you lived while hundreds of others died.

Jeff Bridges, as Max Klein, survives. Once the plane is grounded, he has the strength of mind to get others off the plane, and he is a hero. He does not feel like a hero, but rather like he cheated death. Yet, survival means he must take a complex journey to find his inner peace and equilibrium.

He helps Rosie Perez (Carla), who was ripped apart by the knowledge that she was responsible for her infant son's death. His wife (Isabella Rossellini) cannot understand his emotions or his journey, and is alienated and jealous of the new friendship with Carla. Nothing shows the break with reality for survivors as well as this trio's relationship

If you have ever experienced an event that, by all known logic should have killed you but did not, then this movie is for you. It is not easy living with the fatalistic view that "when it's time, it's time..." but for those of us who do; this movie is a revitalizing look at life.

This is great drama, not a sugar coated action thriller, but a look at humanity.

Although the theatrical aspect ratio of this movie was 1.85:1, while the DVD aspect ratio is 4:3, this is not a "Pan&Scan" DVD. In other words, almost none of the original theatrical image has been removed for exhibition on a 4:3 television screen. The film negative aspect ratio was 1.37:1 (almost 4:3), and for theatrical exhibition, the image was "matted" (partially covered from the top down and bottom up) to produce a 1.85:1 image. For exhibition on a 4:3 television screen, the "mattes" have simply been removed. So the DVD exhibition actually shows 25.9 percent more image than the theatrical exhibition. The movie was likely filmed this way so that the theatrical image wouldn't be butchered on television by the "Pan&Scan" process, and because the filmmakers didn't foresee the current state of the home video market, where consumers prefer movies presented in their theatrical aspect ratio, rather than in a ratio in which the image will fill up their 4:3 television screen (if there is a difference). This DVD presents the movie in the aspect ratio in which the filmmakers wanted people to see it on a 4:3 television, but it does not present the movie in the aspect ratio in which the filmmakers wanted people to see it in a movie theater (for that, the DVD would have to present the movie in a "matted widescreen" format). If you're okay with that, enjoy!

As is true for many of the people who wrote here, for me, seeing FEARLESS in its original, very short-term theatrical release was literally a stunning experience. It is one of those films that one finishes watching, and then walks back out into the sunlight (or the night) almost completely unaware of their surroundings, as you carry the world of the film with you for a long time, and then slowly re-enter your own life. For me, it was a life-changing experience, and ever since it was first released, it's been on my top 10 list permanently.

Regarding the DVD, here's the best info I have: I went to a lecture about a year ago (approximately?) by the film's cinematographer Alan Daviau. He showed his own personal print of the film, which SHINED -- and was projected in 1.85. When questioned by me and others about the pathetic dvd available, he told us he was in the next couple of weeks, going to supervise a new transfer, and that a new DVD would be released soon that would do the film justice. Well, we're still waiting -- but for those of you who, like me, are literally offended by the quality (wrong aspect ratio, bad transfer, bad sound) of the existing DVD -- hopefully, there's hope! Keep watching the skies . . .

One of Australian director Peter Weir's finest. His trademarks of inteposing rock and classic sound tracks (Galipoli had Jan Michael Jarre with Albinoni, Year of Living has Strauss' 4 last songs and Vangelis, Truman has Glass and so on) uses Gorecki's 3rd Symphony and U2 to deep emotional effect. Jeff Bridges is at his best and Tom Hulce as the ambulance chasing lawyer is a comic relief but very effective. Benice del Toro, Rosie Perez, Isabella Rosselini, and John Turturro round out a formidable cast. So what's the problem with this movie?

They released in pan and scan not widescreen. This is nothing short of a disgrace as this wantonly and indiscrimanently edits fine camera work and direction. So until Warner's releases this on widescreen, this reviewer advises against purchase.

How many critics of this film have been in a life and/or death situation? Not many I presume. I have been there, a few times. I have stared down the barrel of a gun aimed at me by a barely coherent man, I've been in crashes that destroyed everyone but me, I dangled from a mountainside waiting for release.

This film reinforces my belief in surviving, not only with grace, but with a purpose. The empowering effect of surviving grants the beneficiary with not only gratitude, but a perspective on what is transient and what is profound.

The plot description may sound simplistic or even cause you to think that this is typical "hollywood" film making - but nothing can be farther from the truth! This isn't an ordinary "drama", it's not "simplistic" or "hollywood" at all. This is an amazing pshycological journey with characters that you will care about and perhaps even identify with.

The cast is PERFECT.
The music is PERFECT.
The direction is PERFECT.
The script is PERFECT.

I'm not one to go around handing out 5 star reviews or throwing the word "perfect" around that often. This movie deserves the high praise and the 5 stars. If you consider yourself a fan of real cinema (films that MATTER) then this is a powerhouse masterpiece that should not be missed. American cinema that actually has depth, real characters, and an excellent plot.

The DVD box reads "formatted from its original version". If this movie was indeed filmed in WideScreen then it is a crime to not have that version on DVD. This is the kind of film that deserves a Criterion release.

- JM