Cast: Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, Powers Boothe, Matthew O'Leary, Jeremy Sumpter, Luke Askew
Director: Bill Paxton
Producers: David Blocker, David Kirschner, Corey Sienega
Screenplay: Brent Hanley
Cinematography: Bill Butler
Music: Brian Tyler
U.S. Distributor: Lions Gate Films
Frailty is one of those thrillers that starts out strongly, with just the right mix of creepy atmosphere and plot exposition, then keeps the viewer involved until it all falls apart at the end. The film's final fifteen minutes represent its downfall - from the obligatory "big twist" to the unnecessary epilogue, Frailty's failed conclusion undoes much of the good will built up by the previous 80 minutes. It's a shame, too, because, for the majority of its running length, this movie manages to set itself apart from the average serial killer thriller. But when it stumbles, it falls.
This is the directorial debut of actor Bill Paxton, who is an easily recognizable face. Paxton's career began in the early '80s, and, during his two decades appearing in front of the camera, he has worked for the likes of James Cameron (on several occasions), Ron Howard (Apollo 13), and Sam Raimi (A Simple Plan). Paxton has clearly learned something from these men (and others). Frailty is an eerie motion picture, so effectively steeped in atmosphere that there are times when the narrative inconsistencies fade into the gloom of a rainy night, or into the filtered rays of the sun streaming through a canopy of leaves. Although Frailty may not be a complete success, it offers ample evidence that Paxton could have a career in the director's chair.
There's a murderer on the loose deep in the heart of Texas. Going by the name of the "God's Hand Killer", he has claimed six victims, and the police are no closer to apprehending him than they were at the start. Then, one stormy night, a melancholy, scruffy young man identifying himself as Fenton Meiks (Matthew McConaughey), wanders into the FBI's Texas office and asks to see Wesley Doyle (Powers Boothe), the agent in charge of the case. He proceeds to tell Doyle that he knows who the God's Hand Killer is: his younger brother, Adam. He then relates a bizarre tale of how, when he and Adam were kids, their father (Bill Paxton) had a vision from God. The vision told him that there were demons living in human shape on Earth, and he was to seek them out and eliminate them. This resulted in Dad becoming a serial killer, and, while young Fenton watched in horror as the body count grew, Adam appeared to support his father wholeheartedly.
Frailty skirts the issue of whether the demons are real or not, leaving it open to interpretation whether this should be viewed as a supernatural thriller. Certainly, there's evidence that something mystical is going on here, but the film remains ambiguous. I would point out, however, that if God is involved in the events that transpire, this is not the Prince of Peace, but a fire-and-brimstone deity who swoops down on the wings of avenging angels.
The most interesting aspect of the film is the psychological one. At the outset, the Meiks are a close-knit, loving family. The boys' mother has been dead for some time, but their father is a fair-minded, kind man who shows nothing but devotion to his boys. Then he has the vision. The story is presented through the eyes of its narrator, Fenton, and depicts his horror, revulsion, and disbelief at what his father is doing. He doesn't believe in the demons, so, instead of watching an instrument of God destroying evil creatures, he sees his father picking up an ax and chopping people to death. He is understandably paralyzed by anger and confusion, and, when he eventually tries to act, it leads to greater tragedy.
Unlike most movies about serial killers, the level of gore is kept to a minimum. There's no question what happens to the victims, but the murders occur off-screen. As Hitchcock proved in Psycho and John Carpenter echoed in Halloween, movies can be at their most frightening when the viewer's imagination is allowed to fill in the blanks. While Frailty is nowhere close to the level of those movies, this is a lesson that Paxton understands and employs.
In Frailty's most prominent role, Paxton trades off on his good-guy image to give us a man who initially seems far too nice to be a serial killer. Matthew McConaughey, not normally known for this kind of dark role, has no trouble pulling it off. His blank stare and monotone delivery hint at a deep psychological trauma. Matthew O'Leary, who plays Fenton in the flashbacks, is effective as a boy trying to cope with the unspeakable acts his loving father is committing. And Powers Boothe, a veteran of both television and motion pictures, steps just outside of the stereotypical image of the dedicated FBI agent.
The problem that Frailty runs into is that it isn't content to tell the story of what happened in 1979, and how those events forever altered the lives of the children. It also wants to surprise us and twist our expectations back on themselves. Unfortunately, once the viewer gets the sense that this is where the film is going, the climax is easily predicted. Frailty's final fifteen minutes seem like they belong in another movie - a picture that has accepted the slasher film clichés and is playing by those rules. Nevertheless, as disappointing as the wrap-up is, it can't erase the chilling psychological warfare that represents the majority of what precedes it.
© 2002 James Berardinelli