Frailty: Movie & DVD Review (2002)
9/07/2007 Posted by Admin
A superficial bruise(Originally published 2002)
More than anything in the world, Bill Paxton’s overpraised thriller, "Frailty," wants to ride what’s left of M. Night Shyamalan's coattails, which have been ripped and ruined over the years thanks to a long line of supernatural-thriller-wannabes eager to hop on "The Sixth Sense" bandwagon.
But in spite of featuring an engaging first half that’s genuinely unsettling and an understated performance from Matthew McConaughey that suggests the actor has some life in him yet, "Frailty" is ultimately as superficial as a bruise, a film so manufactured to crank out an absurd series of final twists for the sake of offering some final twists, it does so at the cost of all that came before.
Told in flashback by McConaughey to an FBI agent played by Powers Boothe, the film is about a single father identified only as Dad (Paxton) who wakes one evening to find God glowing in the center of his bowling trophy.
Instead of offering Dad the gift of a perfect game or a shiny new ball, God offers Dad something potentially more rewarding: the divine order to kill those demons living in his West Texas neighborhood.
Thrilled by the prospect, Dad wakes his two sons--12-year-old Fenton (Matt O'Leary) and 9-year-old Adam (Jeremy Sumpter)—to tell them the good news, which is when the bad family vibes start.
Indeed, while Adam is young enough to be snowed by his father’s religious rhetoric, Fenton is old enough to know that the murders his father is preparing to commit are the product of madness. Worse, it’s Fenton who’s burdened with the responsibility of saving himself and his brother before Dad truly goes berserk and kills them both.
At this point, "Frailty" spools away from Paxton and his screenwriter, Brent Hanley, even while its mood of terror intensifies. So intent is Dad that his sons connect with God as he has, he insists that they join him in the murders, a gruesome task that involves collecting those people on Dad’s divine list, taking them back to the family’s newly constructed dungeon, beating them over the head with a lead pipe and then wielding an ax named Otis into their heads, throats, arms and legs.
The subject of "Frailty" is such that it can’t help eliciting the revulsion it seeks; there’s no denying there's physical power when Dad swings his ax–or emotional power when he turns to his sons and asks them to do the same.
But by the end, what’s also clear is that “Frailty” ultimately had no interest in these children at all beyond using them to generate a few thrills and to create a marketing buzz: We don’t learn anything about them beyond what serves the plot--or the ridiculous twists that come at the end--which seems to me a decision that would have been a more appropriate place for Dad to bury his ax.
Grade: C-
July 28, 2008 at 11:21 PM
I cannot understand how this film got any good reveiws at all. It was utter nonsense. Right from the made for TV flashbacks to the cliched and uninspired musical score, there was little to like.
The acting on the most part was sub par setting us up with a completely unbelievable storyline of (DIY special effect) angels and demons. That the twists at the end were to some extent surprising, did nothing to detract from the fact that right from the opening scene it was obvious this movie was heading for twists. They had to be utterly far fetched and bordering on the ridiculous otherwise the audience would have guessed, in two minutes, the outcome. However, with the poor acting thrown into the mix, I'm surprised anyone really cared about the hollow characters enough to stay for the not so big reveal.
It really pisses me off when rubbish films are well received.
August 2, 2008 at 11:21 AM
Yeah, this is pretty bad. It relies on strange, blaring music to make up for what obviously was a bland, boring script. The twist at the end, so what? Whichever brother did it doesn't matter, they were both nuts. And because it turns out he can see things...who cares. It is amazing what Hollywood thinks is good. I haven't met anyone who liked this trash.
December 14, 2008 at 3:46 AM
Stop bashing things just to bash them. You both have become "that guy" and trust me no one wants to be him. Neither of you get invited to many social outings do you?
September 2, 2009 at 7:06 PM
"Bashing things just to bash them"? Huh? What about when things really do stink, remannng? I'm afraid you're just as absurd as "that guy" if you're honestly pretending that all criticism amounts to some plea for attention by basement dwellers. Simply a ridiculous assertion.
Frailty has a very amateurish, heavy-handed vibe, from the crude editing to the spoon-feeding narration to the overacted scenes -- many of which could have been executed with far more skill and believability. I came into this film with an open mind upon recommendation from a friend whose taste I usually admire. I found the premise to be intriguing, but the finished product falls very short.
Sorry, but this movie strains to be dangerous too obviously and smacks of made-for-TV cheese. The conclusion that nearly legitimizes murder in the name of religion was the final nail in the coffin of this hollow flick. I agree with the original reviewer.
July 12, 2010 at 2:07 PM
this is an excellent little thriller. decide for yourself - don't let this review sway your decision to watch it.
March 2, 2011 at 6:14 AM
I cannot believe how retarded the critic sounds. He is trying way too hard, like so many other rotten tomato goers, and just needs to shut the fuck up and get a life.