Frailty

Rating:
Summary: Frailty..No Frail Thriller Here!
Review: A great and disturbing movie thriller that is steeped in horror, FRAILTY delivers edge-of-your-seat-suspense and a thought provoking plot. Bill Paxton plays a widower of two sons who one night wakes up and claims he receives a vision and mission from God to kill demons (evil people?) in human form. He reveals the revelation to his two sons. The older son Fenton Meiks (Matt O'Leary)thinks his father has gone crazy. The younger son Adam(Jeremy Sumpter), believes in his father's mission and claims to see the same demons his father sees as the father receives a list of people he must kill from God. Here the film moves into areas of religious faith and fantaticism as the father recruits his two sons to carry out his mission. Fenton can't believe that God would kill "innocent?" victims, while Adam supports his fathers madness. This is all told in past tense in the eyes of the grown-up Fenton/ or is it Adam? (Matthew McConaughey) to an FBI agent, Wesley Doyle (Powers Boothe). The question here is, is the father mad which is causing his delusion, or is the mission that is forced upon him by God is what makes him go mad? Also, is the young Adam Mieks just saying he sees the same things his father sees just to avoid his father's wrath? Overall, a thriller with a few twists and turns, slight of hand axe murders, a very down beat atmosphere, and a great cast (especially the performances of the two young sons), FRAILTY is a unique film in a class all its own. Not for the squeamish, but a thriller to make you think about what truth is out there. Good to see veteran character actor Luke Askew (Cool Hand Luke, Devil's Brigade) in a supporting role as the town sheriff.

Rating:
Summary: Demented...
Review: This is probably one of the most demented, crazy and twisted film I have seen in a long time. It's a real big shocker. I would probably never watch it again (I've rented it on DVD) mainly because it's scary and sick but I gave it 5 stars for it's originality and mind blowing scenes.

Rating:
Summary: A Tad Too Predictable
Review: ...

Bill Paxton does some nice work as the psycho father who sees the face of God in what looks to be a bowling trophy; the image tells him that he's been given the task of hunting down demons that only he and his sons (played by no-name children actors but, as they age, Matthew McConnaughey joins the cast) can see. Additionally, God tells Bill that he'll provide him with the tools necessary to see His bidding done ... and, hence, the bloodshed begins.

The elder son goes to the police captain (played grimly by Powers Boothe) to disclose the truth about the Hand of God Killer, and the man is almost -- ALMOST -- duped into believing the outlandish story. We're shown much of what takes place in flashbacks, cleverly constructed for cinematic impact -- but we're sparred much of the bloodshed (most of it takes place off camera, thankfully). However, the twist ending isn't much of a surprise if you've been watching closely, but the harrowing last few shots do ring true the film's central message: not all is what it seems.

A worthy excursion, FRAILTY can be enjoyed by fans of suspense pictures, crime dramas, or just good old fashioned scarefests.

Rating:
Summary: Leisurely paced thriller
Review: The idea of a laconic rural based film against a taut psychological thriller is interesting. The pace is nicely set up throughout the film with a cast of characters that are accessable people with a terrible, brutal twist.

The ending was a surprise but unlike many films that resort to such endings it wasn't to make the film tie up loose ends, rather in Frailty's ending not only are the lose ends tied up but your perceptions are turned on end. Very few films can do this and I'm hesitant to say which because they may spoil this film.

Even if there wasn't a unique twist the story is rendered well. The boys playing the brothers are excellent at portraying realistic emotions in a situation anything but normal. Bill Paxton does a good job as a director and although some differ, it is refreshing to see his and for that matter, all the characters played in an understated way.

Possible downfalls? The film takes it's time getting started. This is bad for those who can't make it past 30 minutes without a car explosion or someone cursing profusely. Instead, situations are built upon so when the actions start they are more profound. And because the characters seem so blaze the story starts getting more tense as the plot continiously develops.

Whether Frailty is profound or perfectly acted, scripted, etc. isn't the point. It works and sometimes it's that something unexplainable that makes weaker material exceptional.

Frailty offers good acting, good plot and some degree of contraversey. The extras on the DVD also help explain choices in the making of the film.

If you don't mind a modest start you will be rewarded by a at times Hitchcock-like feel that shows up now and then in certain scenes. Also, much of the violence is off screen. That people find it offensive indicates how effective the film is at portraying such ideas.

Rating:
Summary: This movie is WHACKED!
Review: I don't know how anyone who is a parent would say this movie was good. With raising children of their own, how could someone possably stomach this movie?? I am 31 years old with a very open mind, and I like a good thriller, but what this little boy went through is way beyond anything I would consider "entertainment."

Rating:
Summary: "He's a demon, son!"
Review: Any movie that you can compare to movies like "Psycho," "Friday the 13th," or any of the "Halloween" movies are must-haves for any suspense or horror fans. You will be on the edge of your seats. Normally, I would give you a summary of the whole movie, but it is just too good to give away. All I can tell you is that if you're a demon on the inside, you better watch out! (The line "He's a demon, son!" is used by a father during parts of this movie. Though it's really not supposed to be funny, it feels like that a little while after you have watched it.) Odd as it seems with all the theatrical trailers that were shown, many people I know have never heard of it or just haven't paid attention to it. You are completely wrong to do this, as this is one of the best movies ever. I hope you find this helpful and I hope you take some time out of your schedule to watch it sometime.

Rating:
Summary: One of My Favorite Movies of the Last Few Years
Review: I saw the trailer for Frailty shortly before it was released theatrically, and knew I had to go see it as soon as I saw that Sam Raimi had given it a great review. When the director of the Evil Dead trilogy, A Simple Plan, and most recently Spiderman gives a movie a good review I know I have to see it.
So I found myself in the theater a week or so later, viewing for the first time what would become one of my favorite films in recent memory.
Frailty is an edge of the seat thriller. Bill Paxton, in his directorial debut, stars as the father of two young boys, who claims God has chosen him as a warrior, a man chosen to battle the demons that roam our earth in human form. He convinces the youngest of his sons, but has trouble getting his eldest son to believe the story. The scary thing about this film is, Bill Paxton truly believes it himself.
The two kids are witness to their father murdering a number of "demons" in their toolshed, and with each murder the oldest son feels more and more tension growing between him and his father, and even tries to convince his younger brother to run away with him.
The kids are wonderful actors, and Bill Paxton is amazing. He is a truly talented actor, and as he proves with this film, a very talented director as well.
Some of the scenes in this movie are very disturbing, and they deal with murder and child abuse, but it's all key to the plot. I strongly recommend this movie to any fan of suspense thrillers, most notably A Simple Plan by Sam Raimi and more recently Panic Room by David Fincher. But this is a movie I think everybody can appreciate.

Rating:
Summary: To the people that don't know what great filmmaking is about
Review: I have read some of the other reviews that said that this film is disgusting, and that it distorts the image of God... I say that that is not the point. If you watch this movie and are afraid, then good, that is what is supposed to happen. If you watch this movie, and it causes you to think about well after the credits role, then that is even better! Not many movies can do that now.

I love this movie. The acting is top-notch, the cinematography is spectacular (includes my favorite scene of all time, the one with the barn, and the light... you know what I mean) I believe that this is a classic, and should be scene by anybody who can stomache it. But don't get up here and write about things that are not relevant. That is all.

Rating:
Summary: not your average serial killer film
Review: ***1/2 Sometimes the sign of a great talent lies not so much in what an artist does, but in what he chooses NOT to do. This is the case with Bill Paxton, whose "Frailty" marks his debut as a director of extraordinary promise and note. Paxton begins with a story that could easily have served as the basis for just another cheap exploitation picture, just another slasher film filled with gruesome carnage, senseless violence and inane stereotypes and clichés. Instead, Paxton has utilized intelligence and restraint to turn his project into that rarest of cinematic commodities: a "thinking man's" thriller, a breed almost unheard of in this day and age when unbridled excess and smash-and-grab sensationalism are the too-familiar hallmarks of the horror movie genre.

Written by Brent Hanley, "Frailty" is a chilling tale of madness and murder, a horror story more concerned with character and tone than with mayhem and bloodshed (though there is certainly some of that in the film as well). Paxton plays "Dad" Meiks, a blue-collar widower with two young sons, who late one night in 1979 experiences what he believes is a vision from God, informing Meiks that he has been set apart for a special purpose: to root out and destroy the "demons" who have infiltrated this world unnoticed, hidden in the guise of ordinary people. As the Lord's specially appointed Avenging Angel, Meiks, with the help of his sons, sets off on his mission, searching out and brutally eliminating numerous people whose identities have been "supernaturally" revealed to him.

The story is told from the viewpoint of Meiks' older son, Fenton, played by Matthew O'Leary as a child, and by Matthew McConaughey, as an adult (at least ostensibly). The film is framed in the form of a flashback, with a disturbed "Fenton" coming forth at long last to unburden himself to the authorities, in this case Agent Wesley Doyle, played by Powers Boothe. As "Fenton" reveals the intricate details of the case, a gripping tale of the power of insanity and of filial love and commitment emerges. It would be unfair to reveal the surprise twist at the end that puts an entirely new spin on the story we have been watching. Suffice it to say that it succeeds in making us rethink every single detail of the film in an entirely different light. The result is that the film haunts us for days after seeing it.

Unlike most filmmakers working in this genre - who mistakenly believe that terror is achieved in direct proportion to how over-the-top one can get - Paxton understands that the greatest horror is the one rooted in the mundane realities of everyday life. It is only when those realities suddenly twist themselves into unfamiliar and unsettling shapes and forms that true bloodcurdling terror occurs. Young Fenton, in particular, has his safe, happy world shattered the moment his father bursts into his room in the middle of the night to reveal his macabre plan. From then on, Fenton's existence becomes a waking nightmare, as he has to live with the gruesome reality of what his father is doing. Yet on the surface, life appears to go on with an air of banal normality, a disturbing tone Paxton exploits to maximum effect. In fact, the sheer matter-of-fact way in which Paxton tells his story is what makes the movie so unsettling.

The performances are excellent, particularly by O'Leary, as the bewildered young boy who loves his father dearly but who simply cannot reconcile and countenance the incomprehensible and grisly acts he sees him performing. In subtle strokes, this superb young actor reveals the terrifying helplessness that occurs when rational goodness goes up against the implacable force of an unreasoning, twisted mind. Jeremy Sumpter also does a fine job as Adam, Fenton's younger brother, who seems less resistant to his father's mad ranting than does Fenton. McConaughey conveys the utter sadness of a man who has lived too long with a terrible secret, and Boothe demonstrates a quiet assurance as the authority figure to whom this disturbed young man finally reveals that secret. As the killer, Paxton himself underplays his role beautifully, making us almost sympathize with the strange obsession that has taken hold of his character.

"Frailty" is not your typical serial killer movie in that it remains low-keyed and understated throughout. By choosing to not go over-the-top with this material - as he so easily could have done - Paxton has created a work that is genuinely creepy, chilling and disturbing, and also demonstrated that he is a director who bears serious watching.

And that turnabout at the end is a real kicker.

Rating:
Summary: An impressive debut for Paxton
Review: This is a highly original and thought-provoking piece which, in terms of its story, sits somewhere between Stephen King and Jorge Luis Borges. That's a very good starting point, so it's slightly disappointing that it's partly undermined by a repetitive screenplay (just how many times do characters need to state their positions on God's will?) which relies too heavily on voiceover narration. While it's true that McConaughey's character is literally telling the story for most of the film, his insistent voiceover yanks us out of the moment and dilutes the tension. And in general, it isn't required: Paxton gets such good performances from the kids that we don't need to be told what's going on inside their heads - we can see it on their faces. Imaginative viewers might predict a few of the plot turns, but the story never reveals where it's headed too soon. And while Act 3 does employ the twist-laden high jinks which cap most thrillers, it doesn't resort to explaining every last detail of what you've seen. Writer Brent Hanley and director Paxton have the sense and the confidence to leave things with an appealing ambiguity which helps maintain the unsettling tone to the end. Overall, Paxton's direction is rock solid. This is a very impressive debut. A quite timely one, too, given that religious fanatics are both attacking and defending the West these days.