Review of Frailty (2012) by Ben L — 25 May 2017

Frailty is a well-crafted thriller about a man who tells his sons that he has a mission from God to kill demons masquerading as humans. It?s a very dark tale, and I was impressed by the twists and turns it took.

The framing device used for the story (since most it is told in flashback) works well. I like McConaughey?s mysterious line delivery narrating the tale, because he sets the tone almost like someone telling a ghost story.

I was a bit let down that the final twist was made so obvious (to the point that it was actually one of the ideas I had in the first 30 minutes of the film.) Perhaps that?s just a symptom of having seen too many movies and TV shows, so I can see that kind of thing coming.

I also was a tad annoyed at how stereotypically dumb certain characters behaved, to the point of falling into multiple horror movie cliches. None of the flaws ruined Frailty for me, though. It?s a thrilling story and I genuinely couldn?t look away.

And that ending puts you in an interesting place as a viewer where you start to wonder how you want the story to end. This feels like the kind of movie that should have been huge at the box office because of the big stars, and the excellent story.

Perhaps the terribly ambiguous title held it back from grabbing the attention of the audience. For me, it?s one I might watch again soon because I enjoyed it that much.