Frailty (2001)

Director:

Bill Paxton

Writer (WGA):

Brent Hanley (written by)

Release Date:

12 April 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

There are demons among us

Plot:

A man confesses to an FBI agent his family's story of how his religious fanatic father's visions lead to a series of murders to destroy supposed "demons."

Plot Keywords:

Vomit Scene | Disturbing | 1970s | Axe Murder | Brother Brother Relationship

Awards:

3 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Bill Paxton	...	Dad Meiks
Matthew McConaughey	...	Fenton Meiks
Powers Boothe	...	FBI Agent Wesley Doyle
Matt O'Leary	...	Young Fenton
Jeremy Sumpter	...	Young Adam
Luke Askew	...	Sheriff Smalls
Levi Kreis	...	Fenton Meiks
Derk Cheetwood	...	Agent Griffin Hull
Missy Crider	...	Becky Meiks (as Melissa Crider)
Alan Davidson	...	Brad White
Cynthia Ettinger	...	Cynthia Harbridge
Vincent Chase	...	Edward March
Gwen McGee	...	Operator
Edmond Scott Ratliff	...	The Angel
Rebecca Tilney	...	Teacher

Also Known As:

Dämonisch (Germany)
Frailty - Nessuno è al sicuro (Italy)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and some language.

Runtime:

100 min | Austria:96 min

Country:

USA | Germany | Italy

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18SG (uncut version) | Malaysia:U (cut version) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:14A | Finland:K-15 | France:-16 | Germany:18 | Italy:T | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | Peru:18 | Portugal:M/18 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #38149) | Philippines:R-18

Filming Locations:

Huntington Library & Botanical Gardens - 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, California, USA

Company:

American Entertainment

Trivia:

Lion's Gate had wanted to change the title to "God's Hands" at one point, but Bill Paxton and the writer Brent Hanley convinced them not to do it.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Dad's beer can sounds hollow and empty every time he sets it down.

Quotes:

Fenton Meiks: Adam?
[Adam comes up behind him and destroys him]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Anatomy of a Scene: Frailty" (????)

Soundtrack:

(There Will Be) Peace In The Valley For Me

Paxton's first directorial job is a good old jab at the horror/drama

Frailty suffers somewhat towards the end of the film by confusing the story into a guessing game of which guy is which (McConaughey is a part of this not to spoil anything important), but for the bulk it's worth the time and popcorn. Paxton and his crew have concocted an often original, deep thought inducing picture with more chills than gore, which also works for the feel.

Here, McConaughey starts off in an FBI man's office and tells the story of of him, his brother and his father back in 1979. His father was a good father and loved him and his brother, but one night dad (Paxton) gets visited by the angel of god or other and is commanded to "destroy the demons that possess human beings". He also brings along his two sons to assist him in his tasks of destruction much to the dismay of McConaughey's younger form (played in one of the best recent kid performances by Matt O'Leary).

What is revealed in this movie caused me to think deeper than I should've, or should possibly. This tale is almost in the vein of what happened with Andrea Yates and her drowning her kids- parents will is brought upon the children by the hand of god's command (the tasks once done by Abraham and such is mentioned as well). It is difficult to classify Paxton's dad right away as a nut case cause he is shown to be sane through it, and that adds the intrigue to his character and the nightmarish reality on his kids Adam and Fenton. This is something you don't really see much in movies in general and a quick peek at the least is highly reccomended. It's not a great achievement however it's enveloping style is undeniable. A-