Frailty (film): fantastic cast in a film that barely broke even
I have to admit that my opinion of Bill Paxton was somewhat tarnished over the years, particularly after Twister. I kind of found him to be well, the same person in every film he was in. This movie is an exception to that notion.
The movie begins with Fenton Meiks (Matthew McConaughey)visiting an FBI agent claiming that he knows who the "God's Hands" serial killer is and is willing to show the agent where all the bodies are buried. The story is told via flashback to Fenton and his brother Adam's childhood, where they were raised in a single parent home with their father who is known only as "Dad" in the film (this is Bill Paxton.)
Paxton is a deeply religious man and believes that God is communicating with him directly and giving him a list of names of people that while they look like people, they are actually demons. Dad believes it is his duty to kidnap these people, expose the demons inside, and then kill them.
Fenton and Adam are torn during all this, as one brother completely believes in his father's visions while the other thinks that his Dad is a crackpot loony. Despite this both brothers are forced to participate in their father's crimes.
And that is where I am going to stop talking about it because there are several key moments in this film that are chilling, and to reveal them would be to hugely spoil the entire film.
I like this film because it is different and because everyone, including McConaughey, play their roles expertly. If you have been following me for a while you know I tend to put him under the microscope and be a lot more critical of him than most actors. This movie's pacing is a little slow at points but if you can get past that, this psychological thriller is a great ride.
Honestly, I'm surprised by the high critics praise given for this film, as it just comes across as a low budget mild horror to me. It's not particularly sinister, or evil and just revolves around a dads mission, supposedly given to him by God, to destroy all the demons that are on deaths list. Of course, he can't do this alone, and needs the assistance of his two sons, one older and wiser, believing the dad to be suffering from a mental illness, and the other younger and naive, going along with any porky pie his dad tells him. We actually watch the events as they had panned out but in real time, the story is unfolding as the elder brother tells it to the police, admitting that his younger brother is the psychopathic killer responsible for a notorious rampage of murders. I admit I didn't see the actual twist coming, albeit I knew one was of course coming, just not in the style that I had guessed. It was actually quite a clever conclusion, but only once I had fully understood in via Wikipedia. Other than that it was fairly fruitless, not gory, all the horror left to the imagination, and it was purely building and building without much notable action. I'm never that keen on religious or spiritual films and although this wasn't particularly deep, the concept was based loosely around this theming, but granted it did allow it to produce the fine finish that it did. Matthew Mcwhathisface was the main recognisable actor in this, although I wouldn't have known him if it hadn't of said it on the DVD cover. Overall, not a great deal to shout about. Pleasant weekend viewing, which was neither here nor there in my eyes, and had I not been doing the ironing at the same time, I may not have even been able to keep them open.
great counter-points man. I can identify with why some people would feel this way for sure :)
Sounds like great film
Wow.... I am definitely going to look for this 🍿 movie
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Watched the movie 10yrs ago
Thoroughly enjoyed it.
One other movie that got lost is ‘ stir of echoes’. Watch it and you wont regret
i like it