Rating:
Director: Bill Paxton
Writer: Brent Hanley
Producers: David Blocker, David Kirshner , Corey Sienega
Director of Photography: Bill Butler
Cast: Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, Powers Boothe, Matt O' Leary
| FRAILTY Rating: Director: Bill Paxton Writer: Brent Hanley Producers: David Blocker, David Kirshner , Corey Sienega Director of Photography: Bill Butler Cast: Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, Powers Boothe, Matt O' Leary |
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Review by: Ryan
Kugler
4/2/02
It sure is nice to see a horror film that takes the genre seriously and doesn't feature a single dumb, obnoxious teenager. Frailty is a welcome return to the filmmaking style of the gritty thrillers of the 70's. It's provocative, scary and genuinely disturbing.
The set-up is similar to the one that was used in The Usual Suspects. One night, Fenton Meeks (Matthew McConaughey) walks into a Texas police station claiming to know the identity of the "God's Hands" murderer. He proceed to sit down and tell his story to Special Agent Doyle (Powers Boothe).
A majority of the film's running time is devoted to Fenton's recollections of growing up with dad (Bill Paxton) and younger brother Adam (Jeremy Sumpter), after the death of their mother. Fenton (played as a 12-year-old by Matt O' Leary) and Adam are good kids that look up to and love their dad. For Fenton, all of this is about to change when his father goes up to the boys and shares a vision that he's had.
In his dream, an angel visited him and charged him with a job as one of God's Helpers. His mission, he tells the boys, is to find and kill demons. Fenton thinks that dad's gone mad, but 9-year-old Adam is impressionable and believes his old man. Both boys think that it's all talk though, until dad comes home one day with a list of names and some tools of destruction (including a nice ax that figures prominently). The reality of the situation soon sets in with the boys, as their father goes more and more insane.
Soon, the three are driving around town, kidnapping and bumping off the supposed demons (local townspeople) one by one. Fenton is terrified and wants no part of the madness, while Adam believes in his dad's holy crusade and claims to see the visions as well.
After much bloodshed (all offscreen), familial blowouts and brotherly betrayals, we're back in the present. So, who is this adult Fenton and does he really know who the "God's Hands" killer is? It's really worth sticking around for the answer.
Along with starring, Paxton makes a stunning directorial debut. He allows character development and restraint to take center stage over the more sensational aspects of the script. He creates an intense and disturbing atmosphere and a gothic look that becomes as important as any of the other elements. Hats off to screenwriter Brent Hanley as well. This is his first produced screenplay and he really knows how to build suspense. It's a smart and original story.
Paxton is fine in his role, but he comes off a little too manic right off the bat. He's not as over-the-top as Nicholson in The Shining (who is?), but it's close. The two kids are great. It's a rare privilege to see a good and convincing performance by a child actor, but here we get two. As far as I'm concerned though, this film belongs to McConaughey. He has a minimal amount of screen time, but his presence is felt throughout. This is my favorite performance of his since he played Wooderson in Dazed and Confused.
Frailty
is the best film that I've seen in a long time. It's also one
that hasn't left my mind in the two months since I saw it. Finally,
a real adult horror film comes along that deservedly stands beside
such cinematic shockers as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. It's that good
and it's about time.
Agree? Disagree? Talk about it in the forums.
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