Fearless MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +3 Content: -2

The survivors of a plane crash near Bakersfield, California, react differently. Some are angry, some are grateful, and some feel guilty. But the one the airline psychiatrist is most concerned about is Max Klein (Jeff Bridges). He saves several passengers and calmly leads them away from the crash. Then he hails a cab and disappears for several days. His wife (Isabelli Rosselini) and young son are frantic until he returns to San Francisco after the FBI has located him. Hailed as "the Good Samaritan" by the press and the other survivors, Max seems remote and cold toward his family. He purposely walks across a busy expressway and stands on the ledge of the roof of a tall building. The only person he seems to care about is Carla (Rosie Perez), a young Hispanic mother whose baby boy died in the crash. She feels guilty that she could not protect her son. Max and Carla develop a deep friendship and ultimately help each other. The intensity and subject matter of FEARLESS are much too complex for children, but will give adults food for thought and discussion.

This good Samaritan is more afraid of living than dying. While searching for meaning to his life, Max overlooks the treasure he has in his wife and son, who both adore him. He claims he doesn't believe in God, yet he refers to a "light" that removed his fear at the crash site. Later, when he is near death himself, the "light" appears again, this time at the end of a tunnel. As he is drawn toward it, his family's expressions of love prove stronger than his will to die. Carla is a devout Catholic whose guilt over her baby's death warps her perception of reality. She and Max care very much for each other, but there is no sexual involvement. Flashbacks of the plane crash show glimpses of the dead and injured, and the tense moments leading up to the crash convey the passengers' fears. Later on, Max crashes his car into a brick wall to make a point. These scenes are not gratuitous, however. Ambulance chasing lawyers and some victims' families are portrayed as greedy opportunists anxious for big monetary gains. The R rating is based on the adult subject matter and several obscenities and profanities. FEARLESS reminds us that without love and hope, life has little meaning.

Preview Reviewer: Mary Draughon
Distributor: Warner Brothers, 4000 Warner Blvd., Burbank, CA 91522