Watched tonight (first film of the year!): Fearless
No, not that one.
Observations:
- This film is hard to watch if you know anyone with post-traumatic stress disorder, and (I imagine) even harder to watch if you actually have it. That doesn’t undermine the strength of the film - if anything, it adds to it - but it really drives home the feeling of powerlessness and emotional crisis. Basically, it’s harsh.
- Jeff Bridges is fantastic in this, even though it does feel like early work. He doesn’t always radiate the same confidence that he does in The Big Lebowski, and that both works to his credit and against him. It’s more intense, arguably, but also not always as aesthetically or dramatically impressive; you just feel like you’re getting him.
- It’s definitely a film about one man, even though there’s an ensemble cast. Each character serves a purpose, and there are a couple who really resonate (for me: the widow of the protagonist’s boss, who made me cry with a look), but none are treated with the same intensity as Bridges.
- Is it just me, or is the cut to credits at the end a little too abrupt?
- All in all, brilliant, and made me tear up so much that I got a headache.