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:

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

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Taglines:

There are demons among us

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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

Adam's jar held a millipede, not a centipede. Bill Paxton asked Matthew McConaughey what a good name would be and he answered "Curtis". Thus the millipede was 'Curtis'.

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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

Young Fenton: But Dad, that doesn't make any sense.
Dad: I know it sounds that way, son, but it's the truth.

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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

Featured in Anatomy of a Scene: Frailty (2002)

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Soundtracks

Ball & Chain
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

Good start, great middle, laughable ending

I was completely taken with this movie. I loved the whole good-and-evil thing, the feeling of powerlessness in childhood, the dark places, the doom.

Paxton's performance is terrific, but his direction takes "Hitchcockian" too far. "Inspired by" is one thing. "Shameful ripoff" is another. And then, suddenly, the last 10 minutes of this terrifying tale of delusion and isolation turns into "The X-Files." Disappointing.

But it's still worth seeing, if you can handle the gloom.

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