Title:Frailty By: Bill Paxton Released by: Lion's Gate Released on: April 12, 2002 Rating (out of 10): 8 Date: 04/14/2002
Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, Powers Booth, Matthew O’ Leary and Jeremy Sumpter
Killed By An Angel
I've never liked Bill Paxton. His presence has never bothered me, but seeing his name doesn't have me running for the theater either. I’ve always found most of his performances too forced; he seems unsure how to display emotions, so he covers it up by yelling. (This has worked in certain movies, like Aliens). It was not until A Simple Plan that I begin to see real acting talent; Paxton gave a performance I could sympathize with. In his latest film, Frailty, Paxton plays a character who makes us confused as to whether we’re supposed to feel sympathy or hatred toward him.
Paxton has played several movie villains, so his role in Frailty is quite tricky. He has to find a balance between love and madness without going overboard. His character is known as Dad (maybe because as the film opens, he’s supposed to represent everything a kid would look for in a father). Dad works as an auto mechanic to support his two young sons, Fenton (Matthew O’ Leary) and Adam (Jeremy Sumpter). His wife has passed on, so Dad plays both parts as best he can.
Dad is a religious man, although we don’t know this until the night he wakes his sons up to tell them about a vision he's had. It seems Dad was visited by an angel who informed him Judgment Day is near, and that to do his part for God, he and his sons are to carry out a mission. There are demons among us everywhere, but they are good deceivers, for they look just like humans. The angel helpfully lets Dad know the weapons he is supposed to use (a light shines on a barn where an axe is waiting), and eventually he is supplied a list of who he is supposed to execute. A unique power also accompanies the mission, as Dad is able to see the “demon’s” sins when he touches them.
Both kids are confused. The younger, Adam, is still at the point in his life where he’ll believe anything his father tells him. Fenton, though, thinks his dad is losing his mind and wants to stop him...until his father informs him that if anyone finds out about the mission, someone will die. Fenton becomes scared and backs off.
The scenes of violence here are not gory or graphic. They are, however, undeniably chilling. Even more eerie is the way Dad requires the boys to help him take care of the bodies after the executions are done. Before long, he wants them to do their part by swinging the axe.
Adam is willing to cooperate, but Fenton is not; the only reason he doesn’t run away is that he doesn’t want to leave his brother. One of the movie’s biggest strengths is the relationship between Adam and Fenton. As Fenton continues to resist the mission, his father becomes more frustrated with him, which leads to punishments. During these scenes, our curiosity about Dad’s sanity continues to rise. Is he really doing deeds for God, or has he gone nuts?
The story is told in flashback by a grown-up Fenton, played by Matthew McConaughey. He’s kept trapped inside the secrets of what his dad did all those years ago—until they finally burst out of him. The FBI has had a case open on the murders for decades, and they have come to identify the culprit as the “God’s Hands” killer. Fenton tells his story to an agent (Powers Booth), who isn’t sure he can believe the outrageous tale of the mission.
Frailty marks the directorial debut of Bill Paxton, and I must say, he comes off as a natural. The movie, which takes place in Texas, has a dark and Gothic feel. Paxton is good at building things slowly, so we’re never sure what to believe, and the scenes of terror are handled with a great deal of unpredictability. There’s a scene here that made me jump and gave me goosebumps.
If the movie has a weakness, it's in the conclusion: There are several plot twists which seem like a cop-out, and they drag the movie on a little longer than it should last. This is a small quibble for a movie as ballsy as Frailty. It is uncompromising in how it disturbs us, and Paxton wisely never sugar coats his material; there's nothing sappy or Hollywood here. This is a merciless thriller, the kind of horror film we would have seen in the ‘70s or ‘80s. There were times when I wondered if that’s what Paxton was going for, since many scenes are almost too campy to be believed. Frailty is the best horror movie to emerge in a while, thanks to the well-defined characters, the chilling performances, and the provocative premise. It also makes you wonder, “How bad are the skeletons in my closet?”
