It was nice to see Bill Paxton play a "bad" guy. Basically he's the father to two sons that live in rural Texas in the 1970s. One night, "Dad" awakes from a sound sleep, only to be spoken to by an angel. He immediately tells his sons that he was spoken to by God through an angel and was told that his mission in life is to "destroy" all the demons that roam the earth. The younger son, Adam, believes every word "Dad" says. Fenton, on the other hand, knows right away that his father is mentally disturbed. He tries to tell his brother this, but Adam will not listen. He believes that his father is out to help God by killing all the world's demons. Fenton sees his father as an evil murderer but Adam sees him as a hero fulfilling God's wishes.
The story progresses with "Dad" having more and more visions from God. He's given a list of "demons" that need to be destroyed. He seeks these people out, kidnaps them, and ultimately kills them in front of his children. I think that's the most disturbing element of this film; the fact that the children are made to participate.
While all of this is going on, Matthew McConaughey (Fenton as an adult) is narrating the tale of what he witnessed as a child to FBI Agent Wesley Doyle (played by Powers Boothe). He explains how he wanted to run away from his father on many occasions, but he didn't want to leave without Adam. He also talks about how he tried to tell the sheriff of his town that his father was murdering people and burying them in the rose garden, but the sheriff did not believe him. This is paralleled in the beginning of the film when the grown Fenton tries to tell the FBI Agent that he knows his brother is the "God's Hand" serial killer that Agent Doyle has been searching for. Fenton and Agent Doyle drive to the rose garden so Fenton can prove that his brother is the one who killed 6 people. Until that point, Agent Doyle feels that Fenton is making the whole story up.
"Get in the cellar, boy!"I don't really want to get into any more of the film since it is pretty suspenseful and there are plot twists that I don't want to reveal. Although, I have to admit that I could see the ending coming a mile away. Knowing what was going to happen didn't actually spoil it for me, though, which is good. There is also a lot of Good vs Evil as well as Angels vs Demons throughout. I could go deeper into the religious aspects/themes of Frailty, but I'll save that for another day.
I thought the acting by everyone in this film was pretty damn good. It was nice to see Bill Paxton play a character that is NOT a loud-mouthed asshole, as seen in the other films I've reviewed here so far. He was quite convincing and downright terrifying at times. Not to mention that he directed this film, too, and did a pretty good job. The two boys who played his sons did a fabulous job, too. I can't really comment on McConaughey since he's not really in it all that much. I guess he did a good job for the time he was on screen. Can you tell I'm not really a fan?
I recommend Frailty for those of you who 1) love Bill Paxton and 2)like thriller/suspense films. The plot is great and the story movies along quickly. As a matter of fact, it was the fastest hour-and-a-half I've ever spent watching a movie. Put this high on your Netflix list (or set your TiVo to record it at 3am tomorrow on the SciFi network). You'll thank me.
By the way, there were no leather pants anywhere in this film. Just thought I'd point that out.
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