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FrailtyRating:
Release Date: 17 September, 2002 Retail Price: $9.98 OUR Price: $9.98 You SAVE: $0.00! Cast: Complete Cast (10 total) |
Frailty Reviews
Transfusing fresh blood into the tired Serial Killer genre.
Over the years, serial killers have become a staple of the horror genre. The concept that such intense cruelty and brutality can be committed by someone who could live right next door to you is infinitely more terrifying than any vampire, werewolf, or zombie could ever hope to be.
Still, the serial killer genre is in danger of becoming stale and overused. For every "Silence of the Lambs" there are about 10 "Jason X"s, and for every "Se7en" there are a hundred "Urban Legend"s. And between the two extremes lies a hoard of forgettable, mediocre films.
Frailty, however, is just the sort of film to breathe new life back into the genre. In his directorial debut, Bill Paxton brings us a dark, surreal crime thriller with a touch of the supernatural.
The movie begins when Fenton Meiks (Matthew McConaughey) arrives in the office of FBI agent Wesley Doyle (Powers Booth) claiming the serial killer calling himself "God's Hands" is really his younger brother, Adam. In an effort to convince Agent Doyle of his sincerity, he begins to relate the horrifying tale of his childhood.
As Fenton talks, the film flashes back to 1979, showing Fenton and Adam as young boys (played respectively by Matthew O'Leary and Jeremy Sumpter) living with their recently widowed father (Paxton), referred to only as 'Dad'. Dad is your average working-class father, working as an auto-mechanic and trying his best to raise his two sons right.
Fenton's idyllic world begins to crumble around him, however, when one night Dad claims to have been visited by an angel. He's been told that he and his sons have been made "God's Hands", and it is their duty to destroy demons. Although these demons have taken the forms of normal humans, Dad claims he and his sons will see them for what they truly are: utter monsters. Over the next week, Dad is sent a set of holy tools (an axe and a pair of gloves found in an abandoned barn), and a list of demons to destroy (a seemingly random list of normal people). Before long he's destroying demons, or as Fenton sees it, killing innocent people. Worse still, as the killings progress, Adam is being drawn further into his father's world of religious mania.
Most of the movie takes place during the '79 flashback, making O'Leary, Sumpter, and Paxton the stars of the movie. O'Leary skillfully depicts young Fenton's struggle between his love for his family and his horror over Dad's actions. Sumpter displays a similar conflict in his character, but he is torn between his brother and his father's mission. He's the innocent youngster who loves his father unconditionally, and refuses to believe he's gone insane. Paxton's performance is simply chilling. He discusses destroying demons with his sons in the same tone he might use to talk about baseball or homework. He feels only duty towards "destroying demons", but gets physically ill when he's forced to commit a real murder.
McConaughey is barely seen until the end of the movie, and spends most of the film narrating his flashback. When he is seen, he's chillingly detached and morose. You can tell he's hiding something, but you can't tell just what until it's almost staring you in the face.
For his directorial debut, Paxton does a remarkable job. He cuts deftly between the present day and '79, without making the story confusing as could easily be done. The death scenes show everything up to the moment of the killing, forcing you to cringe and imagine the gore rather than see it for yourself.
Of course it helps that he was given a fantastic script to work with by Brent Hanley. There are a number of twists throughout the film that you probably won't see coming until they're revealed. The ending makes the film all the more terrifying and shatters any preconceived beliefs you may have had, although some may find it a bit heavy-handed.
Frailty isn't just scary; it's creepy as hell. Any fan of horror and psychological thrillers should find this movie more than worth the DVD price.
Exciting!
Frailty is a horror movie that doesn't have to be
grossly graphic to be thrilling and entertaining.
Bill Paxton plays the loving and devoted father of
2 boys, who after being visited by an angel, is
convinced God has chosen his family to rid the world
of demons who are disguised as "regular people"
waiting for the final battle of good vs evil to
begin? While Adam, the younger son is convinced
his father is a hero? Fenton, the oldest figures
his father has lost his mind, and will do anything
to stop the killings. A surprisingly good ending
and several plot twists keep the story moving at a
fast pace. And strong performances by Paxton,
Matthew McConaughey, Matt O'Leary, & Jeremy
Sumpter make Frailty a fun, if not disturbing
thriller. Powers Boothe also co-stars.
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