Themes: Southern Gothic, Religious Zealotry, Fathers and Sons
Main Cast: Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, Powers Boothe, Matt O'Leary, Jeremy Sumpter
Release Year: 2002
Country: US
Run Time: 99 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Actor Bill Paxton made his directorial debut with Frailty. The bulk of the story is told through flashbacks, as a mysterious man (Matthew McConaughey) tells a terrible tale to an FBI agent (Powers Boothe) investigating the "God's Hand" serial killer case. The man grew up in a small town in Texas, where he and his brother lived a bucolic life with their kindhearted widower father (Paxton). One night, the father awakens the two boys, Fenton (Matthew O'Leary) and Adam (Jeremy Sumpter), and tells them he's had a vision, and God has chosen him and his sons to help Him slay demons who walk the earth in human form. He tells the boys they can never tell anyone about this task. Before long, he comes home from work with a list of names that he claims an angel has given to him. He then begins abducting people, bringing them home, one by one, and having the boys watch while he lays his hands on them. After having proven, to his mind, that they are demons and not human, he chops them up with an axe while the boys look on. Young Adam is eager to participate, seeing his family as "kind of like superheroes," while the older Fenton is distraught, believing that his father has lost his mind. He contemplates running away, but is reluctant to leave his little brother behind. Eventually, he goes to the authorities, which results in disaster. As he tells the story, McConaughey takes Boothe out to the public rose garden near his old home, where he claims his brother, the "God's Hand" killer, buried the bodies. Paxton dramatizes the mayhem while leaving almost all of the gore offscreen, and Brent Hanley's script leaves the true motives of several characters unclear until the very end. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Review
Directors Sam Raimi and James Cameron and author Stephen King have praised Bill Paxton's directorial debut, Frailty, as an original and genuinely frightening film, but while the film has an intriguing premise, it doesn't quite fulfill its promise. Frailty builds fairly well, and then seemingly doesn't know where to go. At the end, there are the requisite twists you won't see coming, of the type that have plagued thrillers since The Sixth Sense. Paxton, star of such great films as Aliens (directed by Cameron) and A Simple Plan (directed by Raimi), overplays his redneck zealotry a bit. He's surprisingly the weak link in a competent cast. Matthew McConaughey strikes just the right haunted note, and the two child actors, Matt O'Leary and Jeremy Sumpter, faced with extremely challenging (if not downright impossible) roles, acquit themselves admirably. Paxton does a more impressive job behind the camera, as he and veteran director of photography Bill Butler (DP on The Conversation, Jaws, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) give the film a classic look. Novice screenwriter Brent Hanley has cited Night of the Hunter as an inspiration, and while Frailty doesn't approach that film's power, for a good portion of its running time, it chillingly examines the conflicts of a child whose father has apparently slipped into madness. Paxton accomplishes this without resorting to gore or cheap scares, but the film's achievements are severely undercut by its unconvincing resolution. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Luke Askew - Sheriff Smalls; Derk Cheetwood - Agent Griffin Hull; Missy Crider - Becky; Cynthia Ettinger - Cynthia Harbridge; Alan Davidson - Brad White; Vincent Chase - Edward March; Gwen McGee - Operator; Lance E. Nichols - FBI Agent No. 4; Edgar Davis - FBI Agent No. 2; Levi Kreis - Fenton Meiks; Edmond Scott Ratliff - The Angel; Rebecca Tilney - Teacher; Blake King - Eric; Brad Berryhill - Teenage Demon; Greg Serano - FBI Agent No. 1; Jim Flowers - FBI Agent No. 3; John Paxton - Janitor In Lobby; Richard A. Bell - Curtis; Chelsea Blain Butler - Little Girl; Jennifer Drake - Teacher's Aid; Betty Gurule - Doyle's Mother
Credit
Nelson Coates - Art Director, Kevin Jay Cozen - Art Director, Frederick Levy - Associate Producer, Douglas Shamburger - Boom Operator, Chris Diamond - Boom Operator, Mary Gail Artz - Casting, Barbara Cohen - Casting, April Ferry - Costume Designer, Bill Paxton - Director, Arnold Glassman - Editor, Michael Paseornek - Executive Producer, Tom Huckabee - Executive Producer, Karen Loop - Executive Producer, Tom Ortenberg - Executive Producer, Michael J. Burmeister - Location Manager, Brian Tyler - Composer (Music Score), Joel C. High - Musical Direction/Supervision, Randy Feemster - Camera Operator, Bill Butler - Cinematographer, David Blocker - Producer, David Kirschner - Producer, Corey Sienega - Producer, Gary R. Speckman - Set Designer, Susumu Tokunow - Sound Mixer, Lance Brown - Sound/Sound Designer, Tim Walston - Sound/Sound Designer, David Blocker - Unit Production Manager, Brent Hanley - Screenwriter, David Golia - Second Unit Director Of Photography, Malik Hassan Sayeed - Second Unit Camera, Patrick Turley - Second Unit Camera, Joe Bauer - Visual Effects Supervisor, Robin Schorr - Executive in Charge of Production, Clyde E. Bryan - First Assistant Camera, Paul Wilkowsky - Grip, Pete McAdams - Grip, Bob Small - Grip, Ed Tewalt - Grip, Felicity Bowring - Makeup Supervisor, Abby Gail Palanker - Post Production Supervisor, Beth de Patie - Production Supervisor, Tyler Patton - Properties Master, Alexa Alden - Script Supervisor, Peter Merwin - Second Assistant Director, Larry Fioritto - Special Effects Coordinator, Bob Ulland - Steadicam Operator, James Hamilton - Still Photographer, Jay Nierenberg - Supervising Sound Editor, Antony Osso - Art Department Assistant, Andy Mathieu - Art Department Assistant, David Crvelin - Assistant Art Director, Nicki Cohen - Buyer, John Vetter - Camera Loader, Willie Gray - Electrician, Norman Ash - Electrician, Ronald Joseph Pure Jr. - Electrician, Orlando Hernandez - Electrician, Robert Brakey - First Assistant Editor, Joseph W. Grafmuller - Leadman, Charles Saldana - Post Production Assistant, Suzanne M. Trucks - Second Assistant Camera, Glenn Cowan - Second Assistant Editor, Jim Flowers - Second Second Assistant Director, Jerome Gardner - Set Dresser, Lee Sbardellati - Set Production Assistant, Adam D. P. Martin - Set Production Assistant, Rachel Flackett - Set Production Assistant, Digital Dimension - Visual Effects, Cantina Pictures - Visual Effects, Linda Sutton - Set Decorator, Anna DeLanzo - Cable Person, David Schneider - Cable Person, Eric Thompson - Foley Mixer, Benjamin Martin - Foley Supervisor, K.H. Clark - Set Medic/First Aid, Suzanne Van Dyke - Set Medic/First Aid, James R. Barrows - Swing Gang, Rick Chinelli - Swing Gang, Dave Coronella - Swing Gang, Stone Emshwiller - Swing Gang, Maya Grafmuller - Swing Gang, Dave Deever - Video Assist, David D. Scott - Video Assist, Steve Galloway - Video Playback, Kathe Swanson - Department Head Hair, Robert Denne Sr. - Painter, Michael Gill - Painter, Jason Logerot - Painter, Naomi Treuherz - Painter
Frailty is a 2001psychological thrillerfilm, directed by and starring Bill Paxton, and co-starring Matthew McConaughey. This film is the directorial debut for Paxton. The score was composed by Brian Tyler. The plot focuses on the strange relationship two young boys have with their father who believes that he has been commanded by God to kill demons, and the consequences this belief has after the boys have grown up.
Fenton explains that he is only coming forward now because earlier that day Adam had called him to say that he cannot stop the "demons" because there are too many, and killed himself. Fenton says that he stole Adam's body to bury it at the Thurman Rose Garden, according to a promise the brothers made many years ago. Agent Doyle continues to be skeptical, and Fenton unfolds through flashback the story of their childhood with their widowed father (Bill Paxton).
When Fenton and Adam were young boys, their father tells them that he had been tasked by God to root out and destroy demons whose names were to be provided for him by an angel. Special tools have been given to aid him: gloves to protect his hands, a lead pipe to knock them unconscious, and an axe named 'Otis' to destroy them with. At this news, Fenton mentally shuts down, refusing to believe their father will really kill people, but Adam quickly believes their father to be doing God's work.
Their father captures his first victim, a woman named Cynthia Harbridge (Cynthia Ettinger). When he touches her, he claims he can "see" the sins she has committed, and has no guilt when he uses Otis to "destroy" her. Both Fenton and Adam are forced to witness this act; Fenton is traumatized, but Adam claims he can "see" the woman's sins as well. Her body is buried outdoors in the Thurman Rose Garden which is next to the Meiks house. Fenton tries to explain to Adam that their father has gone insane, but Adam continues to believe him, leading Fenton to conclude that his younger brother has been successfully brainwashed.
After the third victim is captured, Fenton decides to inform the town Sheriff (Luke Askew). When Sheriff Smalls arrives, Fenton's father kills him with the axe. Unlike the previous acts, the father says that this one is "murder" and blames Fenton for forcing him to commit it. The father confesses that the angel told him that Fenton is also a demon and has to be killed. Fenton begs for mercy, and his father locks him in the cellar. After being nearly starved to death, Fenton has a "vision of God" and is let out.
Fenton, Adam and their father track down another supposed demon and capture him. Fenton is given Otis to chop the man's head off, but he instead kills his own father. Fenton moves to release the captured man, but Adam grabs the axe and kills the "demon", apparently having taken over their father's work.
Back in the present, Agent Doyle is convinced that Fenton's story has weight, and drives Fenton to the Thurman Rose Garden, where Adam would surely have buried his victims. Once they arrive, it is revealed that the adult man who has been calling himself "Fenton" is really Adam. However, the "God's Hand" killer is the real Fenton, who kept the bodies of his victims as trophies in his house basement. Fenton used the "God's Hand" nickname to lure Adam out, knowing that his brother would have to kill him one day so to fulfill the task their father could not do. Fenton has been buried in the Rose Garden, along with the many demons Adam had "destroyed" over the years.
Adam also explains that he lured Agent Doyle there because he was on God's list. When Adam touches Doyle's hand, a vision is revealed of Doyle killing his own mother in cold blood. Adam picks up Otis from the undergrowth and destroys Agent Doyle, burying him in the Rose Garden.
The next day following Agent Doyle's disappearance, agents at the bureau frantically try to find the "Fenton Meiks" he left the building with. Agent Hull, who had met Adam-as-Fenton the previous night cannot remember the man's face, and all security footage showing Adam's face has been distorted. Eventually the FBI storm the real Fenton Meiks' house, and find evidence of his killings, along with Agent Doyle's FBI badge.
Agent Hull visits the local Sheriff's office, and the Sheriff is revealed to be Adam Meiks. Agent Hull does not recognize him, and explains that his visit is to inform him about his brother's death and killing spree. They shake hands, during which Adam holds a moment too long only to tell the agent, "You're a good man."
Frailty earned $13,110,448 over its entire domestic run,[1] and received generally positive reviews, with a 76% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[2]Roger Ebert in particular singled it out for praise, giving the film four out of four stars and declaring that "Frailty is an extraordinary work, concealing in its depths not only unexpected story turns but also implications, hidden at first, that make it even deeper and more sad." Moviefone placed Frailty as the eleventh best horror movie of all time.[3] It has since become something of a cult film.
Details
German title: Dämonisch (Demonic)
French title: Emprise (Undertaking)
Italian title: Nessuno è al sicuro
Greek title: Το σπίτι του τρόμου (The House of Terror)
Polish title: Ręka boga (The God's Hand)
Brazilian title: A mão do diabo (The Devil's Hand)
Mexican title: Las manos del diablo (The Devil's Hands)
Hebrew title: סדוק (Cracked)
MPAA rating: rated R for violence and some language
