DVD Review: Frailty (B-)

Frailty
Directed by Bill Paxton
Starring Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey and Powers Boothe
MPAA: R
Grade: B-

Review by Scott Standish

A surprisingly effective horror movie, Frailty is one of those sleeper films that is worth tracking down. Bill Paxton, who also directed, brings to life a creepy "nice guy" character that suddenly starts to go off the rails. Shot in only 37 days, this was obviously a low budget affair. Despite the quickie nature of the production, Frailty actually succeeds as a decent thriller.

Matthew McConaughey plays Fenton Meeks, a country boy that has finally come forward to help the FBI solve a string of murders attributed to the "God's Hand Killer". The FBI agent (played quite well by the legendary Powers Boothe) is skeptical, but allows the man to tell his story as they sit in his office. Similar to The Usual Suspects, the lawman simply listens while a young man relates his knowledge about crimes in the past. As he relates his story, the movie cuts to flashbacks of the actions he describes.

Meeks tells the agent about his crazed father (played by Paxton). Fenton's dad believes that God is telling him to kill certain people. He rationalizes this to himself and his boys (the mother has passed away) by arguing that he "isn't killing people, he's simply destroying demons." Fenton's brother Adam sides with his dad and Fenton has his hands full trying to argue for some sense of rationality. There is a twist in the story (of course!) and I won't give away what it is, but I will say that Frailty's script works well.

A little slow in it's pacing but very well acted, Frailty is recommended for horror film fans and those that like thrillers with a little bit of twist to them.

Buy Frailty On DVD From Amazon.com