This film is an interesting character study of a man dealing with fear and death.
I watched it because I'm a big fan of Jeff Bridges work as "The Dude" in The Big Lebowski but I was a bit letdown. Here's why:
The movie did not deliver enough entertainment value. Thought provoking it was but entertaining- questionable.
Also, the way the movie handled its core issues and themes seemed a little heavy handed to me.
The old chestnut about script writing that the dialogue should never be totally "on the nose" was not adhered to, in this case to the film's detriment. I found some of the dialogue to be too direct and not leaving enough room for subtext and for the viewer to feel that there is something bubbling beneath the surface. Its always better for the writer to sketch the character's struggles as metaphors and incidental to the story rather than try to force themes to lead the story and drive its dialogue.
Additionally, the Director's use of camera shots was a little slow. The style of, "Look at me, here is another important closeup on some random object for longer than we would like," coupled with the writing served to make the movie a bit melodramatic.
Aside from Jeff Bridges who does a solid job in a decent role, Benicio Del Toro was very interesting in his minor role as was John Torturro.
You will see a lot of rave reviews for Fearless largely because it has a small cult following who were emotionally impacted by it. As a regular viewer with no special connection to the film, I advise you to take these reviews with a grain of salt. They are biased.
This is not a flawless film. It is merely an interesting one with a couple good actors. Definitely Not a must see. I also wasn't crazy about Rosie Perez. Her acting was one note, loud and amateurish rather than nuanced and intelligent.
I watched it because I'm a big fan of Jeff Bridges work as "The Dude" in The Big Lebowski but I was a bit letdown. Here's why:
The movie did not deliver enough entertainment value. Thought provoking it was but entertaining- questionable.
Also, the way the movie handled its core issues and themes seemed a little heavy handed to me.
The old chestnut about script writing that the dialogue should never be totally "on the nose" was not adhered to, in this case to the film's detriment. I found some of the dialogue to be too direct and not leaving enough room for subtext and for the viewer to feel that there is something bubbling beneath the surface. Its always better for the writer to sketch the character's struggles as metaphors and incidental to the story rather than try to force themes to lead the story and drive its dialogue.
Additionally, the Director's use of camera shots was a little slow. The style of, "Look at me, here is another important closeup on some random object for longer than we would like," coupled with the writing served to make the movie a bit melodramatic.
Aside from Jeff Bridges who does a solid job in a decent role, Benicio Del Toro was very interesting in his minor role as was John Torturro.
You will see a lot of rave reviews for Fearless largely because it has a small cult following who were emotionally impacted by it. As a regular viewer with no special connection to the film, I advise you to take these reviews with a grain of salt. They are biased.
This is not a flawless film. It is merely an interesting one with a couple good actors. Definitely Not a must see. I also wasn't crazy about Rosie Perez. Her acting was one note, loud and amateurish rather than nuanced and intelligent.