Review of Frailty (2002) by Eric L — 03 Jul 2011

This movie starts out strong, with a creepy atmosphere and Powers Booth presenting his usual dominant presence, this time as an FBI agent. The God's Hand Killer is on the loose in Texas and has already climed 6 victims. Much of the story is then told in a series of flashbacks by a mysterious man who comes in to tell the FBI that his brother is the killer they seek, carying on their father's work.

The mysterous man then tells an intriguing story about his father and what his father did years ago. In the flashbacks Bill Paxton (the father) is excellent as a gentle widower who suddenly has visions from God. So much of his communication is not in the dialogue he delivers, but in his face. He believes he has been chosen by God to destroy demons, which he proceeds to do, involving his two sons. He kidnapps the people God tells him to get, kills them,a nd then burys them in the town rose garden. One son is excited about it all, thinking they are some kind of superheroes, but the other one is sickened and sees his father as a murderer.

Because of Bill Paxton's nice All_American guy image, it's hard to imagine him as a serial killer, which is what makes him scary. Matthew McConaughy plays the mystery man, who we learn is one of Paxton's grown children. McConaughy's demeanor, blank stare, low monotone, and slow deliberate movements show us someone that is deeply disturbed....it's easy to see him as a serial killer.

What stars out as a good serial killer movie crashes miserably in the last 15 minutes. This movie wants to present the viewer with a twist climax at the end. Unfortunately there is too much indicating where the movie is going by that point and the climax is easy to predict.

Overall, it's a decent movie to see, but the ending is a disappointment. As Bill Paxton's directing debut, he certainly shows promise!