Frailty Review
by Shannon Patrick Sullivan (shannon AT morgan DOT ucs DOT mun DOT ca)April 24th, 2002
FRAILTY (2001) / *** 1/2
Directed by Bill Paxton. Screenplay by Brent Hanley. Starring Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, Matthew O'Leary. Running time: 105 minutes. Rated AA by the MFCB. Reviewed on April 23rd, 2002.
By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN
Synopsis: One rainy evening, FBI agent Wesley Doyle (Powers Boothe) receives a visit from a man named Meiks (McConaughey) who claims to hold the key to a series of murders. The man tells a story from his childhood, when his father (Paxton) awoke one night believing he and his two young sons had been given a mission by God: to track down and destroy demons masquerading as men.
Review: "Frailty" is a true horror film. It is not scary, as such, although one or two scenes are quite frightening. It involves an axe murderer, but not one who lurches into shot when we least expect it or remorselessly hunts down his prey like some kind of butchering machine. Scenes of blood and gore are kept to a minimum. There are elements of the supernatural, but no pentagrams or magic spells. There are even monsters, but not a prosthetic horn in sight. No, "Frailty" is truly horrifying. It is the story of a perfectly normal family which goes eerily wrong. And not because of some enormous traumatic event, but simply because, one night, Dad woke up and believed an angel had spoken to him. Paxton's performance is to be commended. He plays the elder Meiks not as a raving lunatic or a blood-curdling villain, but as a decent man who's simply, wholly convinced that the terrible things he does are right. Indeed, Dad comes across as a lot more rational than half the preachers on Sunday morning television. O'Leary is also very good as young Fenton Meiks, convincingly portraying a boy torn between duties of family and society. There are parts where "Frailty" is more than a little predictable, but that hardly matters. "Frailty" demonstrates that a movie can be chilling and gripping without splattering the screen in a gallon of blood.
Copyright © 2002 Shannon Patrick Sullivan.
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