Frailty (2001)

A mysterious man arrives at the offices of an FBI agent and recounts his childhood: how his religious fanatic father received visions telling him to destroy people who were in fact "demons."

Director:

Bill Paxton

Writer:

Brent Hanley

Stars:

Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, Powers Boothe

5 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bill Paxton	...	Dad Meiks
Matthew McConaughey	...	Adam 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

Storyline

FBI agent Wesley Doyle is startled by the declaration of youngster Fenton Meiks about how his father's delusions required him and his brother, Adam to become his 'demon-slaying' murder accomplices. But when Doyle accepts to be shown concealed victim graves, the plot twists in the present just as gruesome.

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Plot Keywords:

religious fanatic | fbi agent | demon | rose garden | plot twist | 

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Taglines:

Only demons should fear me.... and you're not a demon, are you?

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and some language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The demon-destroying axe is inscribed with the letters OTIS. The significance of this writing is never given. Fans have speculated that Otis Meiks is the true name of Bill Paxton's character "Dad." Others believe OTIS to be an acronym for Only The Innocent Survive.

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Goofs

When the boys are in bed at around 13 mins, Adam says "Goodnight, Curtis" to his pet millipede in a jar, not to his brother Fenton.

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Quotes

[voice-over during when Dad, Young Fenton and Young Adam are preparing to capture the second demon]
Adam Meiks: Dad told us that there were moments in everyone's life when they could suddenly just disappear without anyone knowing where they went or why. He said those were the moments when God's hands would reach out and take you. According to Dad, nothing, not even a camera could catch us. We were invisible when we were God's hands.

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Crazy Credits

Directors Sam Raimi, Ivan Reitman and James Cameron, among others, are thanked at the end of the credits.

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Connections

Features Turnabout (1979)

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Soundtracks

A Real Country Song
Performed by Dale Watson
Written by Dale Watson
Courtesy of Hightone Records
Published by Bug Music o/b/o Watson Texas Music (BMI), and Songs of Windswept Pacific
By Arrangement with Ocean Park Music Group

User Reviews

Astounding

I first saw the trailer for Frailty on Yahoo Movies way back in the day, after hearing Stephen King praise it to high heaven. Not really a fan of either star, I still wanted to see it because I'm a huge thriller fan.

I was not disappointed. The acting was superb, especially from the two young boys. Usually I loathe child actors, but Young Adam and Young Fenton were excellent. Bill Paxton really did a good job of directing it too. It was beautifully shot.

One must also note the plot twists. The three twists at the end hit hard and fast, and I didn't see them coming. The final twist of the film, coupled with the gravity of what had just been revealed, gives me chills to this day, even though I've re-watched the film so many times.

A true gem.

Details

Country:

USA Germany Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 April 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Frailty

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles Center Studios - 450 S. Bixel Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$11,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,208,655, 14 April 2002

Gross USA:

$13,110,448

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$17,423,030

Company Credits

Production Co:

David Kirschner Productions, American Entertainment, Cinerenta Medienbeteiligungs KG

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (FotoKem)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1