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Frailty

Frailty

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Suspenseful as Hell
Review: What a great film! In the tradition of The Shining and The Usual Suspects ... yes, these two disparate films ... comes Frailty. The movie has the creepy eerieness of The Shining with the plot twists of The Usual Suspects. What's going on? Who could it be? The mind wanders as the plot slowly unfold, leaving the view with questions upon questions. Then, in a deft movement come all the answers. Try as you might, the answers catch you off guard. From Bill Paxton's menacing wielding of the axe on the demons he's doing away with, to the abductions necessary to get them back on his home turf, to the terror of one of his sons at what is happening, to the parallel plot of the whole story being told in flashbacks -- the movie delivers on, in my opinion, all points. Bill Paxton, as the character "Dad" also serves as the film's director; this, incidentally, is his directorial debut. if this is the kind of work he has to offer as a actor/director, then we should keep an eye out for any of his projects which may be produced. Move over Spielberg, here comes Paxton. Treat yourself and see this move right away.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: "Mediocrity" would be a far better suiting title for this...
Review: ...this movie shouldn't be even classified as a horror as it fails to frighten or terrorize on both visual and psychological aspects. A crime story with a supernatural twist, perhaps? The plot is slow and very predictable and I am not quite sure if it really did intend to provoke those few laughs from the audience. It shamelessly exploits the "God told me to do it" phenomena and to compare it to "The Shining" would mean an insult to a truly great film. It left me dissapointed in anticipation of something really scary and I would've felt cheated if I actually had to pay to see it. As for Mr King's endorsement I think his critical judgement has become a bit cloudy, perhaps due to that unfortunate and tragic accident.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Chilling Heartland Horror
Review: This movie is the best horror I have seen so far this year, possibly in the past few years. It is a quiet film that keeps most of its blood and guts (thankfully) off-screen, leaving one's mind to fill in the awful details on its own. Still the terrible deeds and the shocking motivations of our characters are disturbing to one's very soul.
The story begins with a man (Matthew McConaughey) coming forward with unbelievable information in a very public case involving a serial killer. While the FBI agent scoffs at first, he lets the man tell his awful story.
We see how his family lived happily together despite the loss of the mother years before. Bill Paxton is a dedicated father caring for his two children who love him in return. One night, he makes a shocking revelation that he has had a vision from God commanding him to hunt down and destroy demons masquerading as people. He tells his sons they are on a great mission and they must accept it without question. It comes out of the blue, and the two boys are confused and frightened. Both love their father, but the older child Fenton cannot reconcile this 'mission' with what he knows of right and wrong.
Bill Paxton brings a strange human quality to his axe-wielding demon hunter. His character is just as tragic as he is terrible; as tortured by his older son's rejection as he is determined to carry out God's work. Paxton's portrayal is very good, bringing out a father's loving kindness as well as a killer's chilling dissociation.
Matthew O'Leary does a great job as the older boy Fenton, who is conflicted by his love for his father, and his desire to protect his younger brother Adam. His helplessnes as Dad commits murder in front of them makes the horror of this picture cut more deeply than flesh-eating zombies or action-hero vampires ever could.
Jeremy Sumpter plays the young Adam, who accepts Dad's behavior with all the power of innocence. He is almost as chilling as the father, constantly begging his brother to accept God's will even as Fenton is imprisoned in a cellar he had to dig himself.
The last player worth mentioning is Powers Boothe as the disbelieving FBI agent. He listens to this amazing story with a mixture of amusement, disbelief and horrified acceptance as the truth is finally revealed, knocking him (and the audience) for a loop.
Frailty is a familiar and uniquely American horror tale; the small-town family that seemed so normal is revealed to have a great darkness within it. This film's crowning achievement is that the evil is actually very well hidden, from both the characters onscreen and the audience. The story hides it's most interesting premise at the end of the film, rather than using it as bait to drive box-office sales.
Before you go see Resident Evil, or Blade 2; before you rent the latest teen-slasher flick studios are shoving down our throats this week, go see this film. You will actually get your money's worth, and may even go see it again.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: FRAILTY
Review: Fenton Meiks, played by Mathew McConaughey, comes to the FBI to tell them he knows who the "God's Hands" killer is. Fenton then begins to recall and tell the story of him, his brother and his father who one day has a vision that sends him on a murdering rampage. What is the truth behind the killings and the killer, and what is REALLY happening here?

This film is just amazing! It is one of the most intense, scary, dramatic, fun filled rides I have ever seen in a long time. Bill Paxton, who plays the father in the film and is the director, does an amazing job in this film, and so does Mathew McConaughey. It has already became an instant horror classic, with people like James Cameron and Sam Raimi giving it high praises, saying it is the scariest horror film since "The Shining".

Overall, it is a great horror film.

Grade: A+

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An American Masterpiece
Review: They don't get much better than this! A "classic" representation of how "less" can be "more", a lot more. Paxton assembles a great little film, despite budget and time restrictions. A minor masterpiece and a brilliant effort by a first time director. This was a collabrative effort by all and it shows! No one made a lot of money on this film, but they did leave a "how to" guide for other small budget independent film makers of the way it should be done!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Well, at least a few people saw this for what it really is:
Review: nothing more than conservative propaganda; a pro-death penalty movie "in sheep's clothing;" and a millennial, new testament "end times" movie. If you dispute my opening sentence, consider the following...

1) The murderer goes completely unpunished by the end of the film. As a review I read elsewhere aptly put it, the director didn't take "the stinger" out.

2) The fact that the director didn't remove "the stinger" strongly suggests that the film was intended to have the following disturbing and controversial "morals:" a) That only a chosen few christians have the ability to "see" "true" EEEEVILL; b) those who don't believe in the "christian god" are "demons," so it's okay to torture and "off" them, even if they happen to be one's own sons or brothers.

3) The film takes place in "pro death" Texas. I couldn't help but think that, in this respect, it was the antithesis of the equally crummy and self-righteous, but politically opposed, The Life of David Gale. Btw, it's probably no coincidence that actors Paxton, Booth, and McConaughey are all from Texas.

4) Many other reviewers (here and elsewhere) seem inexplicably puzzled by the title of the movie. It seems fairly obvious to me that "Frailty" refers to the character Fenton Meiks, who is too morally "frail," i.e. weak/"meek" to see the "demons" and carry out "god's will." The family's surname probably has another connotation as well, i.e. the biblical proclamation that "the meek shall inherit the earth," but obviously that connotation would refer more to Fenton's more "righteous" father and brother. As an aside, the youngest son is biblically named Adam.

5) I'll throw another one in for good measure. This movie doesn't present the most flattering view of women. There are only two women in the movie: one is depicted as one of the "demons" who "gets the axe"--presumably viewers are being led to believe that she is of "questionable repute," although we do not get the same glimpse of her past that we do of the other victims, when Paxton "lays hands" on her; the only other female is the pregnant dispatcher who is depicted as little more than a vehicle for covering for the "righteously" murderous Adam, and as vessel for carrying his "spawn," i.e. bearing the next generation of "demon slayers" (oh brother).

Small wonder the cast was kept so small in this curiously acclaimed "low budget thriller:" I don't think there are too many adult actors, other than the "choir" of like-minded zealots who participated in this movie, who would've wanted a part after reading the script. This in nothing more than a "doomsday flick," made by some of the fanatics who believe that the end of the second millennium A.D. (or C.E.) signals the biblical end of the world; just as "doomsday cults" of superstitious people thought the same thing at the end of the first millennium. Don't let this silly movie get too far inside of your head, folks.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: weird movie
Review: This movie is really strange. I have watched it twice now & I thought is was good but really weird. Parts are very hard to understand but it just needs to be watched many times. If you like gory strange movies you will like this one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: GOOD THRILLER RIDE !!
Review: I really liked this movie. Was suspense, thriller, and mystery,Good acting, And great scrip. I really liked it was, rich and scary. Glad I bought it!
A+


Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A CHILLING MASTERPIECE OF GOTHIC HORROR...
Review: I happened to catch this film on the Sci-Fi Channel on cable last night, and am I ever glad that I did! This has got to be one of the best films that I have ever seen in this genre. It is a veritable masterpiece, delivering a great storyline, an amazing directorial debut by Bill Paxton, and excellent performances by the entire cast. What could be better?

The film revolves around the happy and loving Meeks family, which consists of a Texas widower (Bill Paxton) and his two boys, Fenton and Adam. All is well until late one night, when this pleasant, mild-mannered father claims to have received a visitation from an angel with a very special message for him from God. It seems that demons are among us, disguised as human beings. It appears that Dad, as well as his boys, are being given a very special mission. They are to destroy these demons. God will supply the weapons and the names of those who are to be destroyed. Dad will be able to ensure that he is destroying a demon simply by laying his hands upon the purported demon. Therein lies the tale, and it is a positively chilling one.

This living nightmare is recalled in flashback by one of the now grown boys (Mathew McConaughey) to FBI Agent Wesley Doyle (Powers Boothe), who is investigating a series of killings referred to as the "God's Hand" murders. He recounts what life was like for the Meeks family after dear old Dad got his divine calling and woke them up one night from a sound sleep to tell them of his new found mission. The boys are sworn to secrecy and are called upon to assist with this divine calling. While the younger boy, Adam, gets with the program, the older son, Fenton, is clearly disturbed by what he sees as the psychotic transformation of his formerly benign father. He is only hoping that things will blow over, and Dad will return to normal. Unfortunately, things will never again be the same.

Bill Paxton's directorial debut may best be described as stunningly self-assured. His direction is deft, yet restrained, as he is obviously someone who knows that less is more. He certainly realizes that what passes through the viewer's imagination can often be far more terrifying than any garish special effects. Consequently, this is not a film for those who look for mindless blood splatter and gore, as there is virtually none of that in this film. The camera rightly turns away at the crucial moment, leaving the viewer's imagination to work overtime.

The performances that are exacted from the cast are uniformly terrific, but there are two that merit special note. Bill Paxton is simply astounding, giving a bravura performance that is complex and compelling. The viewer believes all along that he is truly a loving father, even when he is seemingly at his most psychotic and on his divine mission destroying demons. Matt O'Leary also gives a singular performance as young Fenton, the son who has difficulty accepting the tune that his beloved father is now singing. His is an angst filled performance that will tear at the viewer's heart.

This is truly a terrific tale of gothic horror and one that deserves to become a classic. It boasts an intelligent and clever screenplay by Brent Hanley with enough twists and turns to keep the viewer guessing until the very end. It is a screenplay that has many layers of complexity. The question for the viewer is whether or not Dad was simply a delusional psychotic killer or truly acting upon a divine mission. This may not be as easy to answer as one may think.

All in all, this is a superlative film that is worthy of being in one's personal collection. Bravo!


Rating: 5 stars
Summary: AMAZING MOVIE!!!!!!! ONE OF MY FAVORITES
Review: This is an amazing movie. Packed with creepy moments it gets better and better. I love the story and plot and loved the ending, which surprised me. I have seen this movie many times, and enjoy it each time. Very good. You definitly need to see this one.


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