Frailty
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Movie Reviews of Frailty
Movie Review: Five stars for acting, mood, and a genuinely surprising climax
Summary: 5 Stars
Do you like films that pull the rug out from under your feet? Can you handle dark and difficult themes? Do you like to see gifted actors work emotions on film? Can you do without big budget effects?
Great. You'll love this "small" but gut-wrenching film.
You have the synopsis from the other posts and the editorial reviews, so you know what it's about. Here are some additional comments from me:
I disagree with the previous poster who gave this a one-star review because the ending doesn't work. I think the ending works. The director and writer made the film in such a way that they drop many hints (visual and verbal) that make the ending probable and believable. Now, probable and believable are both subjective concepts, aren't they? I mean probable and believable within the scope of the film's reality. Do people lie? Sure. Do people plot and scheme? Yes. Can people become wild religious fanatics and have visions (false or real)? Indeed. Can deeds be deemed good or evil based on context? Absolutely. If a man sticks a knife in a woman's gut he could be evil (as in murdering a girlfriend who rejects his control in a fit of jealousy) or good (a surgeon removing an ovarian cancer). Context is all. Perception can be skewed.
This film is all about context and perception. What is really being said? What is really being done? And who is good and who is evil?
You'll have to decide that by the time the film ends. You may not like the answer.
I also disagree with the reviewer who said this film is not for Christians. It certainly can be enjoyed by Christians (I'm one, and I'm pretty dang devout! I have been called a "holy roller" and "Bible thumper" in my day.) I found this highly involving and emotional. This is a film full of deeds we would be quick to label as moral/immoral, of people we will be hasty to judge, but it is also one that never really denigrates God. If anything, it has something to say about the "frailty" of human choices and perceptions, but it is not disrespecting of God.
What is tragic becomes tragedy by film's end. What is sad becomes nearly unbearable. Be ready for a descent into a dark, dark world. And yet, one that rings oddly true, at least for anyone who believes the stories in the Old Testament. Once you "see" , you understand. :)
Matt McC and Mr. Paxton were terrific in this, as were the young boy actors. I hope Mr. Paxton gets to direct some more. He did a fine job with this movie that asks and answers the question: "What makes a good man and loving father become a serial ax murderer?" It's a great answer!
Mir
Movie Review: A look inside the twisted mind of a psychological maniac
Summary: 5 Stars
I remember walking by "Frailty" in the video rental store and was interested when I discovered Bill Paxton starred in this, as he rocked in "Near Dark". Anyway, a friend of mine recommended this to me (thanks again, Captain!), and I caught it about two weeks ago.
Now, I probably should have reviewed this about two weeks ago, but this movie is so powerful, it's STILL fresh in my mind. If you don't know about the plot, it's about the "God's Hand Killer", a father of two played by Bill Paxton, and his two sons. The father gets a religious epiphany that God has chosen him to kill off "demons" living among humans in the world, so that the world will be a safer place. Whether or not they were real "demons" or just evil human beings, I can't quite recall. Either way, this movie is TWISTED!
What makes this movie so great? Well, it's just incredibly well-written, lots of stunning twists in the plot that you couldn't see if you had the telescope at your local science hall. The acting is also superb. I must admit, I was a little doubtful when I saw big name actors like Paxton and Matthew McConaughey. Not entirely sure why I was doubtful, I just thought getting commercially successful actors in a horror film, a genre that isn't all that commercial (thank goodness!), wouldn't work.
But, THIS MOVIE DOES WORK! It's an intelligent, gripping, psychotically limitless exploitation of a madman. It's almost like getting a first-hand view of what drives a murderer. Bone-chilling stuff, ain't it?
The movie also has a Southern feel, since it is set in the South, and there's something about a Southern feel to movies that just appeals to me.
Well, if you like psychological horror or are a fan of either Bill Paxton or Matthew McConaughey, this is a movie that will blow your mind! It's a deranged look at what drives a maniac, and it's very realistic, and incredibly-well portrayed, so this IS a horror movie ESSENTIAL. Plus, the DVD comes with lots of extra, including the trailer and some commentary by Bill Paxton, who also wrote and, I think, directed this movie (proving that in real life, Paxton IS NOT a maniac! HA HA!) Anyway, this is a very highly recommended, chilling piece of psychological horror, one of the best to come in the last, ten years. It's as good as "One Hour Photo", entirely different than it, but still just as good. Ahhh, "One Hour Photo", THAT'S a movie I might get to soon.
Anyway, hit the lights, grab some snapple and get ready to get freaked out and amazed at the same time, because "Frailty" does just that! Thanks for the time, and peace.
Movie Review: Spending quality time with the kids
Summary: 5 Stars
You know things are going to be messy when God gives one of his True Believers a sharp-edged object to chop up demons disguised as just folks.FBI agent Wesley Doyle (Powers Boothe) is recalled to the office after hours to interview Fenton Meiks (Matthew McConaughey), who has demanded to see the man in charge of the "God's Hand" serial murder investigation underway in Texas. Meiks makes the matter-of-fact statement that he knows who the killer is - his younger brother Adam. Or rather "was", as Adam committed suicide some hours earlier. As a matter of fact, Adam's body is in the stolen ambulance parked just outside. Fenton goes on to tell Doyle (and the audience via flashbacks) that the killing spree started many years before when he and his brother were pre-teenagers. One night in the small hours, their Dad (Bill Paxton), by day a soft spoken auto mechanic, awakens them to announce that he's had a vision of God, who's given them a special mission - to kill demons. Soon, the Almighty provides the tools - a pair of work gloves, a length of metal pipe, and a double-bladed axe named "Otis" - and a list with the names of the first seven targets, all of whom are strangers. Adam buys into the concept, but Fenton has to be coerced into doing his part. Soon the axe starts to fall on very real human necks. Back in the present, Fenton tells Wesley that he knows where the case's missing bodies are buried. Does he want to go and see?
FRAILTY is a gripping story about that sort of obsession which compels otherwise normal people into committing horrific acts. Matthew O'Leary and Jeremy Sumpter are excellent as the young Fenton and Adam respectively, and Paxton, who also directed, is chilling as the loving father who conscripts his sons into the Lord's army.
There were times when I thought FRAILTY verged on the improbable, but then said to myself, "Well, after all, it's rural Texas", and went with the flow. And because of a completely unexpected twist at the end, it's one of those rare films that my wife and I verbally re-ran to clarify in our minds what we just saw. This fact ranks it an intellectual step above most thrillers released to the Big Screen.
Were the victims of the Meiks trio really just normal folks like you or me? Why was the adult Fenton so pre-occupied with the photo of Agent Doyle and his mother on the former's desk? And who messed with the Bureau's surveillance cameras? Trust me, you want to see this tautly told and clever film.
Movie Review: A fantastic film - original and chilling!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Frailty revolves around a serial killer called the "God's Hands Killer" and a man named Fenton Meeks ( Matthew McCoughaney) that claims to know the true identity of the killer. Fenton walks into the office of FBI agent Wesley Doyle ( Powers Boothe)and tells a story that he claims will shed some light on the case. The story goes back to Fenton's childhood, and revolves around him (Matt O Leary)and his younger brother Adam ( Jeremy Sumpter) raised by their father( Bill Paxton). One night, their father says he is visited by an angel that was sent from God. The angel says God has a mission for him. The mission is for him and his two sons to kill demons disguised as humans. Adam, loves his dad, and is eager to assist him. Fenton however, refuses to participate and sees it as murder. Throughout the whole film, the viewer must ask themselves - Is the father really doing God's work, or he is out of his mind?
Frailty is probably one of the best films that I have ever seen. If I had to make a list of my ten favorite films of all time, Frailty would definately be on it. The film's story unfolds briliantly because the focus keeps switching from the present conversation between Matthew McConaughey and Powers Boothe, back to the boys' childhood with their father. It is all tied together wonderfully, and culminates in one of the best endings I have ever seen. It will literally shock you. The film overall is an intelligent horror film that offers a whole new take on a serial killer. It is not your everday pointless Hollywood slasher film. It uses the characters' emotions and what they went through, to drive the story. I also love the controversial take on religion that the story offers. Bill Paxton did an amazing job in his directorial debut! The two young actors Adam ( Jeremy Sumpter) and Fenton ( Matthew O' Leary) were the main reason for the film's success. Paxton successfully manages to make them give the most convincing performance possible. Their performances make what the boys went through very convincing. Matthew McConaughey and Powers Boothe were also great.
Frailty was flawless in my eyes. The story unfolds very well, the ending was outstanding, and the performances were all great. The DVD offers an outstanding featurette that takes you into the making of the film. It was very interesting to see the process that went into making the film.
A solid 5/5...
Movie Review: Not your usual redneck rampage story
Summary: 5 Stars
The end of the world is coming. No one is safe.Twelve-year old Fenton Meiks leads a normal life albeit the absence of a mother. He feels secure growing up in a small Southern town, looking after his younger brother Adam and being cared for by his loving, average-Joe widowed mechanic father. Until the night his father receives a visit from an angel. According to the `angel', Fenton's father is assigned the divine mission of destroying demons. Demons, Fenton's father claims, walk this Earth in human form and commit acts of heinous evil. From that night, Fenton's life was never the same again. His father believed that he found the magical weapons he needed in a shed, and brought home an axe (with the name `Otis' carved in its handle - most eerie!), a steel pipe of some sort and a pair of gloves. While at work, Fenton's father receives another visitation wherein the angel gives him a list of names of demons that he, as `God's Hand', has to destroy. The first abduction and killing takes place that night and it is a grisly event witnessed by the two boys. Adam is a fervent believer while Fenton is skeptical and fearful as he watches his well-loved world crumble around him. Both child actors give not merely credible, but utterly compelling, performances. It is not until many, many years later that Fenton goes to the police, specifically, FBI Agent Doyle, with his sinister tale. The central imagery in this story is a rose garden that lies beside the Meik home. It is to this place that Agent Doyle is led, and another story unfolds. Is the boys' father a psychopath, or something else? Was the young Adam so impressionable that he had been brainwashed by his father into believing that their little family was chosen to be God's Hands? Is there no end to this terror, this series of seemingly mindless and unjustified murders that can neither be traced nor stopped? The element of horror in this movie is not of the scream-out-loud, in-your-face variety. Instead, it is a plot as quiet and dignified as it is disturbing and macabre. This is a tale that makes you rethink your classifications of good and evil. The excellent lighting, cinematography and flashback effect in the plot lends a mythical quality to this movie. A brilliant departure from the usual redneck rampage, axe-murderer story, `Frailty' is a poignant movie with a sound storyline that will intrigue, frighten and haunt you.