Frailty

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing but flawed
Review: It's good to see McConaughy, finally, in a film where he gets to use his considerable talent. That said, while Frailty gets off to a good (and chilling) start, I had problems with the premise and even bigger problems with the resolution. When the widower father of two young boys suddenly awakens with a mission to rid the world of demons, what ensues can only be viewed as horrific child abuse: forcing two children not only to see their father commit axe murders but to participate in the disposal of the bodies cannot be dismissed by a surprise ending that's intended, somehow, to justify the beginning.

I couldn't buy into a lone FBI agent going off alone with the McConaughy character, without any backup, without leaving any mention of his destination. It's a quantum hole in the plot that is very hard to buy, as is the notion that a man might come into possession of a (literally) god-given gift of seeing into the souls of people both good and bad. That "gift" which is the core thesis of the script cannot redeem the horror that is forced upon two innocent children. I was left with the unsettling idea that I'd been sold a justification package to excuse madness decorated to look like goodness.

No amount of good acting, good editing, good cinematography can elevate this film above a gruesome reality that turns two little boys into adults who kill--for whatever reason. This is one seriously creepy movie--primarily because it attempts to offer validation for murder, as if it's okay for a possibly nutso dad to coerce his reluctant older son into participating in his "vision." For anyone who takes a step back and seriously considers the plot of this film, you're left with a very bad taste in the mouth.

Rating:
Summary: Edgar Allan Poe's version of the Prodigal Son
Review: "Frailty" is a very good film and the only reason I would not claim it was a great movie is because it is not quite a film that you would want to see over and over again, which I think is a key part of what makes a film great. You should watch "Frailty" a second time, primarily to pay attention to how the film was put together in terms of setting up the payoff. You will see that this is a solid little film, without any major holes, which is certainly a rare enough state of affairs with regards to movies today.

Like reviewing "Memento" it is hard to explain why I liked "Frailty" without giving away too much and spoiling your enjoyment of the film. The script by Brent Hanley tells of a Southern gothic horror story that plays with and off of our assumptions about religious fanaticism. This is a haunted film, both in terms of the story and the look of the film, the latter due to Bill Butler's photography. Matthew McConaughey's character shows up at the office of Powers Booth's F.B.I. agent to say that he knows who is the serial killer called God's Hand. Like Booth's character, we are suspicious from the first and the success of this film is based entirely on how deep in the spell of the story being told we fall. I think most people who are fans of this genre are going to fall pretty deep.

Included in the DVD extras is a Sundance channel "Anatomy of a Scene" feature that provides nice in-depth analysis of a key scene from the film of the sort that you rarely get to see outside of a college film course and provides graphic evidence of Bill Butler's wonderful work with lighting.

Yes, I appropriated the title of this review from a description of the story on the making of the film featurette, because I liked it and I knew I was not going to come up with anything better.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best movies of 2002 you never heard about!
Review: When I heard the premise behind Frailty earlier this year, I was intrigued and wanted to see it, but it never showed up in theaters, or if it did, it was there in for the blink of an eye.

What a shame this movie didn't get the press it so richly deserved!

A widower of two boys receives a vision one night, and he is 'tapped' by God as a destroyer of demons. He enthusiastically confides this to his two son, one of whom believes his father, the other one listens to traditional voice of reason. Because this story is so full of surprising and well-constructed plot twists, I won't rob you by revealing them. But from the moment Matthew McCoughney's catatonic trip to the police station opens the movie until the final, chilling shot...this film will hook you and you won't be the least bit sorry it did.

Another aspect of the film that was handled BRILLIANTLY is the violence. This is a violent film that shows you very little blood at all. Paxton wisely realizes that the grisliest horror often resides in our own heads, and uses that to full effect.

Paxton, in his directorial debut, manages to tell a story that could have easily fallen flat if not given the right attention. Paxton directs a complex story as if he were walking through the rose garden! I was impressed, and that's putting it mildly. Paxton would be robbing us if this is where he stops at directing.

You will be hard pressed to find such an engrossing movie!

Rating:
Summary: disturbing and thought-provoking...
Review: Frailty is extremely unnerving. It is also well-made and acted. The only problem I had with the film is that we (the viewer) never get a sense of how the "Dad" character (played by Paxton) was before his first vision. Are we to assume that he was a completely normal, loving father or that there were early warning signs of his eventual religious zealotry? Of course there are hints that the family is deeply religious (the opening shots of the kids have them singing bible songs) but it somehow feels like there is a chunk of film missing... I think in this sense, the film suffers like The Shining did-- in it Jack Nicholson was crazy as hell from the opening scenes of the film, and therefore it was hard to accept that he slowly lost his mind through the influence of the Overlook Hotel. In Frailty I think there should have been a few more establishing shots of the boys and their father's relationship before the visions and killings started. This is a minor problem however, and I enjoyed (perhaps thats not the best word), I appreciated Frailty for its economical storytelling (I know! I know...I was just complaining about there being "missing" footage). Frailty really sticks in the mind. the film leaves you with a lot to think about...Its implications are horrifying.

Rating:
Summary: Spending quality time with the kids
Review: You know things are going to be messy when God gives one of his True Believers a sharp-edged object to chop up demons disguised as just folks.

FBI agent Wesley Doyle (Powers Boothe) is recalled to the office after hours to interview Fenton Meiks (Matthew McConaughey), who has demanded to see the man in charge of the "God's Hand" serial murder investigation underway in Texas. Meiks makes the matter-of-fact statement that he knows who the killer is - his younger brother Adam. Or rather "was", as Adam committed suicide some hours earlier. As a matter of fact, Adam's body is in the stolen ambulance parked just outside. Fenton goes on to tell Doyle (and the audience via flashbacks) that the killing spree started many years before when he and his brother were pre-teenagers. One night in the small hours, their Dad (Bill Paxton), by day a soft spoken auto mechanic, awakens them to announce that he's had a vision of God, who's given them a special mission - to kill demons. Soon, the Almighty provides the tools - a pair of work gloves, a length of metal pipe, and a double-bladed axe named "Otis" - and a list with the names of the first seven targets, all of whom are strangers. Adam buys into the concept, but Fenton has to be coerced into doing his part. Soon the axe starts to fall on very real human necks. Back in the present, Fenton tells Wesley that he knows where the case's missing bodies are buried. Does he want to go and see?

FRAILTY is a gripping story about that sort of obsession which compels otherwise normal people into committing horrific acts. Matthew O'Leary and Jeremy Sumpter are excellent as the young Fenton and Adam respectively, and Paxton, who also directed, is chilling as the loving father who conscripts his sons into the Lord's army.

There were times when I thought FRAILTY verged on the improbable, but then said to myself, "Well, after all, it's rural Texas", and went with the flow. And because of a completely unexpected twist at the end, it's one of those rare films that my wife and I verbally re-ran to clarify in our minds what we just saw. This fact ranks it an intellectual step above most thrillers released to the Big Screen.

Were the victims of the Meiks trio really just normal folks like you or me? Why was the adult Fenton so pre-occupied with the photo of Agent Doyle and his mother on the former's desk? And who messed with the Bureau's surveillance cameras? Trust me, you want to see this tautly told and clever film.

Rating:
Summary: Yuck!
Review: The New Testament half of the Bible has been axed in this distasteful re-creation of the film noir. Execution becomes a family business after a loving bachelor father experiences a vision. Vengence is mine, sayeth the Lord, and the grunt work is delegated to the father, who, needing help, proceeds to turn his young boys into the Blues Brothers' evil twins. They are on a "Mission From God" executing demons who appear in human form. Or so they think. Are they for real? Are the demons for real, or are they just ordinary people? That is the mystery which would pique our interest if only we weren't so grossed out. Retribution is messy, and a key ingredient is child abuse, we learn. It's dirty work, but somebody has to do it. In Frailty, serial killers are the true heros. Parenting and career building are wholly perverse endeavors. Whereas our kids use the computer to do their school work, the Frailty kids use an ax. Years ago, the ads for the film The Loved One said truthfully that the picture has "something to offend everyone." So does Frailty. Both films turn everything you take for granted about good and evil upside down. However, The Loved One works because it has a worthy purpose: satire. Frailty serves no useful purpose that I can divine. So unless you enjoy the fascination that the mouse feels as it stares paralyzed into the ravening fangs of the viper, I suggest you pass on Frailty. Rent The Loved One instead.

Rating:
Summary: Well worth watching
Review: This movie was very entertaining. We were a captive audience visiting family and this was our Saturday night movie. We had no choice but to watch it. Missed the first 15 minutes or so. Liked it so much, we rewound and watched the first part. Plan to rent it and watch it again. I always doubt those who expect movies to meet all their expectations in all categories. Movies are supposed to be fun, not necessarity deep and meaningful. This was a fun ride.

Rating:
Summary: Another film with a "twist" *groan*
Review: Everything that needs to be said about the premise & so forth has been said by other reviewers- I thought Paxton did a good job both acting & directing, and everyone else in the film was pretty solid- but the main reason why I'm writing this review is because I'm getting really tired of all these films with their "twist" endings. It's not clever anymore, just annoying! You can tell a smart, interesting story without resorting to "twists", so stop it already. That is all.

Rating:
Summary: Not good at all
Review: I'm a big fan of thriller/horror type movies and I figured that this one would be great. Was I ever wrong. This movie was terrible. There was no storyline and the idea behind it was awful. The movie was so very repetitive. I don't recommend this movie to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Surprise Winner
Review: When my fiancee brought this home, I was skeptical but determined to give it a try. I am neither the biggest Matthew McConaughey fan nor the most enthusiastic Bill Paxton viewer but this movie will shock you, terrify you and make you look at the world a little differently. The writer and director have done an extraordinary job of turning and twisting you into more directions than you can count. Anyone who likes a good creepy suspense, this is it.