Fearless (1993)

Director:

Peter Weir

Writers (WGA):

Rafael Yglesias (novel)
Rafael Yglesias (screenplay)

Release Date:

15 October 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Some people are afraid of nothing.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Grief | Disaster | Guilt | Confession | Fear Of Flying

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Joyride (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and airplane crash realism.

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | South Korea:18 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Chile:14 | Finland:K-14 | Germany:12 | Netherlands:12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Arvin, California, USA

Company:

Spring Creek Productions

Trivia:

Some of the debris that was used in the crash scene in Hero (1992/I) was reused for the crash site in this film.

Goofs:

Continuity: The TV news report says the flight number of the Intercity plane that went down was 202, however the newspaper article Jonah cuts out says it is 42.

Quotes:

Max Klein: [talking to God] You want to kill me but you can't!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Father Ted: Flight into Terror (#2.10)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Mai Nozipo

great character study

I had heard about Fearless for a long time and was never in the right mind to see it. It's the story about how survivors of a plane crash cope with life afterwards, their neuroses, fears and personal demons. It is a quiet film, so quiet that one can barely hear the inner tremblings of the main character.

He is a survivor without fear. He has summoned up a supernatural lack of fear towards life and psychological health now that he has survived a plane accident. In times of crisis, he has the ability to block fear and to live on adrenalin alone. He has become in the eyes of the other plane passengers, a hero and an inspiration.

But even though this lack of fear is his saving grace, it is also threatening to jeopardize his life. He copes with the nightmares and emotional traumas with the same reaction that helped him along on that fateful day. But in real life, this way to cope is unhealthy and even dangerous. One must live afraid to be a normal person. One must worry about finances and loss of love.

The film is imperfect, as any great film should be. There are slow moments and perhaps a little too much pop psychology. (But the film is as subtle as it gets). There are marvelous character touches, such as a lawyer trying to file a lawsuit who keeps apologizing for his greediness. (The film exposes the genuine dilemmas of trying to compensate victims and their families).

Perhaps the most amazing scene is a reenactment of the plane crash itself. I won't give anything away about the story, but the scene is hauntingly beautiful; it shows the overwhelming force of the wind and the earth ripping apart the fusilade and all the parts of the luggage and cabin that humans normally deal with. It is a violent, horrifying scene and a horrifying memory, but for the main character, he can imagine it with the appropriate distance and without the pain. This accident was the defining moment for his life, and after that scene, we realize how amazing it is that he and the rest of them could have survived, and how fragile their life was in the face of overwhelming force.

This story imagines a disaster and how useless it is to be afraid of a force more powerful than any individual (and that is the main character's profound insight).