Frailty

Starring: Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, Powers Boothe, Matt O'Leary, Jeremy Sumpter, Luke Askew, John Paxton
Directed by: Bill Paxton
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Thriller
2002

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Two boys react differently when their father (Bill Paxton) tells them God spoke to him and asked their family to kill demons- which look just like regular people.

Review:
Tim: I first saw Frailty sometime shortly after its release, maybe 2003 or 2004. I forgot to write about it in The Movie Files, and spent over 15 years keeping my eyes open for the opportunity to find it again. I can't tell you how many times I looked for it and it was unavailable. In August 2020, I finally was able to sit down and watch it again. Interestingly, I felt exactly the same way about this movie, even with all those years separating the two viewings.

I really like Bill Paxton and I wanted to love his feature film directorial debut. Instead, I liked it, which isn't too shabby. This is a challenging movie, one that flirts with being brilliant, but ultimately falls short of that goal. I thought about this movie a good deal after watching it and in the following years. It's the kind of film I want to like more. It has some Fallen vibes, but isn't nearly as effective. Still, I don't want to criticize this movie too much- it really is an entertaining, thought-provoking movie.

The central mystery of the film is whether the boys' father (played by Paxton) is insane, or if he's really hearing the voice of God. The movie does a great job of keeping this uncertain. It really makes you feel for these boys, these impressionable children who look to their father as their hero. What happens when your hero starts talking about murdering people and insisting they are actually destroying demons? The movie straddles this line carefully, where at various points you're convinced the man is insane, but other moments you start to wonder if something supernatural is actually taking place. This is a fascinating aspect of the film and it holds our attention throughout.

The conclusion of the movie is controversial and I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about it. It certainly takes the story in a different direction, one that isn't expected. The ending isn't this big reveal- it felt like it tried to be, like the curtain pulls back and the audience gasps. It doesn't quite get there. You feel more like "Oh really?" and then start scratching your head as all the pieces of the puzzle finally drop into place. It feels like it almost could have been a brilliant twist, but isn't quite. "That's cool" is a better summary of my feelings than, "Oh my God!" (which I think it was going for). Again, none of this is bad, but it feels like the ending should have been more powerful and the whole movie should have been just a bit better.

The narrative structure is interesting- we get some of the events taking place today, but much of the movie is told in flashbacks. I thought it mostly worked, and it allowed for the cast to get moments to shine. One of my biggest disappointments was that Bill Paxton and Matthew McConaughey don't get to share any screen time. That doesn't hurt the movie as it was impossible in the context of the story, but Paxton and McConaughey are both so good in their roles, you wish it was possible. I really did enjoy their performances. They're both quite different, but very effective. Powers Boothe was strong in his supporting role, too. Matt O'Leary and Jeremy Sumpter both added great performances as the kids. The cast here was fairly small, but truly effective.

I really do like Frailty. It's a good movie and a film I find myself thinking about. It had some terrific elements in place. It delivered some truly remarkable scenes (the solitary confinement in the bunker scene always sticks with me). It asks some big questions and even though the answers aren't always perfectly satisfactory, it was a worthwhile attempt. This is a movie well worth seeing and it's a movie I didn't mind seeing again, even though it took me many, many years.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7


If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Fallen, The Greatest Game Ever Played