“Has God
spoken to you yet?”
“Frailty” is one of the many really
good movies that slip through the cracks of film history for one reason of
another. Back in 2002 I saw it, and I
tried to tell everyone to go and see the amazing directorial debut of Bill
Paxton. No one did. So, I’ll just keep trying.
The film starts off with Matthew McConaughey as Fenton Meiks
telling a FBI agent played by Powers Boothe the story of his brother and father
and how his father became obsessed with visions of angels who told him to kill
demons who were disguised as regular people.
Paxton play’s the father in the flashbacks, and is incredible at
starting off as average loving father and morphing into eerie fanatic father
who thinks gloves, a lead pipe, and an axe will protect him from the demons
he’s meant to kill. He’s given list of
names by an angel, of people to take out and he eventually in-lists the help of
his two young sons played incredibly by Jeremy Sumpter (Friday Night Lights) and
Matt O’Leary (Brick) O’Leary as Fenton being the young version of McConaughey
who is the older of the two brothers and truly believes his dad has gone insane
overnight. Sumpter as Adam the younger
and more influential, takes his father at his word that they are demon hunters
doing God’s work.
The film plays out like the best of
Hitchcock’s work, it’s creepy, unnerving, and keeps you guessing at characters
motives and also whether or not Paxton’s character has truly lost it mentally. His performance is intense and memorable. Along with him the rest of the performances
are great as well, every actor brings their “A” game to this film and as it
goes on you get more and more invested in the story and the characters. The final scenes in the film really pay off and
lead to a satisfying ending.
“Frailty” is a great thriller to watch
at home on a Friday night. It’s been ten
years since its release, trust me, it’s worth your time, and you can find it on
the cheap on Amazon or rent it on Netflix.
Give it a chance. It’s Bill
Paxton. He’s one of two guys ever to be
killed on screen by an Ailen, a Terminator and a Predator.
--Robert L.
Castillo
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