User Reviews

This is a very dark and intriguing horror type thriller based on the idea of religious murders. The storyline centres on a deranged man who lives in Texas, US who suddenly goes on a killing spree with his two young sons after being instructed by God to redeem the world of bad people.

Bill Paxton who directs this movie plays the deranged Father who is known as the Hand of God Killer while Matthew McConaughey plays his finest performances to date as the oldest son, Fenton Meiks. The film revolves around Fenton who decides he can no longer hold the burden of his murderous childhood alone and uses flashbacks to hauntingly tell the story to FBI Agent Wesley Doyle (played by Powers Boothe).

I cannot think of many movies that literally keep the viewer chained to their seat from start to finish and this is definitely one of them. Even if you want to stop watching, you wont be able to because of the sheer power of this movie.

The directors have filmed this movie very well, and they help to set the plot through the good scenery. The acting in this movie is great but if there is any drawback it is that some parts are very powerful and may disturb some people.

Whilst the concept of this film is very dark, the young children help to portray the idea through brilliant acting. This really is a spine tingly movie and it is guaranteed to have you at the edge of your seat throughout. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys horror, disturbing and powerful movies or anyone who just wants to see something different.

8/10

This entire review is a SPOILER! This is only for those who've seen Frailty! You've been warned!

I either see Frailty as a genius movie, or a badly botched effort. I know what Hanley, the screenwriter, wanted. If the movie had been made according to his wishes, I would agree with the commentaries on the DVD and agree with the general premise as seen on the surface of the movie. However, as it stands, I do not see it that way at all. And there are subtle and not so subtle clues that Frailty was meant to be something altogether even more subversive than what is seen.

Other reviewers have spotted the anomalies, while others have gotten upset at the thought that Adam and Dad Meiks really were getting orders from God. I admit it... as a Christian, the thought does upset me, but not nearly enough to attack the producers and actors in writing or otherwise. And, I must admit, that Dad and Adam were receiving orders from a god... but which one? The God of the Bible? Or the God of the Earth? Either one could perform miracles... such as hiding Daddy Meiks' kidnappings, fuzzing up the video monitor, lousing up anyone's memory- and leading Daddy and Adam Meiks to think they are seeing demonic acts in the minds of innocent people. The first three quarters of the movie works perfectly, with nothing out of place, except Dad's supposed visions. We at first see Dad Meiks as a madman, a ruthless killer, and maniacal child abuser. When I first watched, I had the gut feeling that this was no tale of human insanity, but this was the Real McCoy- a supernatural thriller with vastly disturbing psychological undertones... and I was right. The clues given in the FBI building let any viewer know that some other power besides human capabilities is at work here. The fuzzing up of Adam's face in the video monitor might have been coincidence, but it's reinforced by the fact that a trained observer also could not remember Adam's face.... plus, there are Adam's visions, revealed in a chilling line up of scenes from the times Daddy Meiks laid his bare hands on the captured 'demons'.

Taken at face value, we are clearly shown that Adam has taken over Dad Meiks' holy mission, and is pursuing it with a flair Daddy Meiks never displayed. We see, on the surface, that Fenton Meiks was a demon, planted by dark powers to bring an end to Dad's righteous mission. And yes, Hanley did want Fenton to be the demon right from the beginning, well before Frailty was made. Colombine reared its tragic head above the horizon of public awareness while Frailty was in production, thus forcing some changes in the way the plot was presented. Adam was shown to be following God's orders, and he was a righteous human being, doing everything any good American should do: fighting evil with all of his cunning and might- and winning! The panning shot, as the camera pulled away from Adam and his lovely wife pounded that fact home, thus arousing the ire of many a Christian across this great land of ours....

But Bill Paxton's commentary opens up a whole new boiling kettle of worms, as does Brian Tyler's great score for the movie. I do think Bill Paxton has put together a different movie than the one that appears on the surface... and he gives clues in his commentary, and there's a great big clue in the story itself. I will get to it soon...

First, how many people did a double-take when Fenton asked Adam to bury him in the rose garden when Adam destroyed him? How many viewers felt as though the plot of a different movie had been pasted on? Matt O'Leary seemed to me to be as disbelieving in that twist as I was... way out of character for the character he had portrayed so excellently all through the movie. Did the kid forget how to act in just that one scene? Did Paxton forget how to direct? Was Fenton really the demon? Please remember that Fenton was the only character in the entire movie to display feelings of kindness and the actions of a thinking, rational, caring human being. Let's go over them, to the best of my memory....

Daddy Meiks, whatever his previous actions towards his kids might have been, became a cold-blooded killing machine. While protesting love for Fenton, he tortured his elder son without remorse or the slightest hint of mercy. Adam as an adult is cold and calculating, the very picture of smug self-righteousness and hatred woven into a finely honed killing machine. Adam, the child, as acted so superbly by Jeremy Sumpter, had all the human feelings of a radish as he bought Daddy Meiks' story without hesitation. Little Adam was ready to kill right from the start, even willing to slaughter his fellow students, with a made up list. Daddy Meiks showed his sanity by stopping little Adam in his tracks... or did he? Adam had the psychological makeup, right from the start, of a fanatic. Was Daddy's mild rebuke going to stop him? I have my doubts...

The old sheriff was shown to be a very disagreeable man, at least from Fenton's point of view. Let's see.... Powers Booth's character, Agent Doyle. He was just as surly as the old sheriff. Maybe he really was a demon, maybe he was just sick of the killings he had to investigate. Whatever the reason, Doyle was not a pleasant man. We only get to see his mother in the photo on Doyle's desk and in the vision of her getting killed by her own son, the very Agent Doyle in charge of investigating the God's Hand murders. The other agent, whose name escapes me, is a butt-kissing toady, showing not an ounce of brains whenever he is on screen. The 'demons' Daddy Meiks captures... whether or not they are truly demons, they are hardly shown in their best light. Who does that leave, in Frailty, who might show humane feelings? Sheriff Adam Meiks' pretty wife, in his office? To tell you the truth, she creeped me out. As pretty as she was, she made me glad I was not in the same state as she was. Happy never to have met her...

So.... we are left with Fenton to see humanity of thought and action.... and he is the demon. Nice little message for those who see this movie. I saw that particular twist coming, but wished it wouldn't. It was the easy way out and Frailty, up until that point, was too well done to deserve being trashed by that garbage pail of a twist. Or was it?

We are shown that Doyle was a demon, who mercilessly slaughtered his beloved mother. He even asks Adam how he knew. Case closed, right?

Wrong. The 'vision' Adam has shows a young Doyle knifing his mother to death.

The photo on Doyle's desk, which the camera pans so lovingly, shows a much older Agent Doyle posing in the photograph. Huh? Was that a production mistake? Could be... but it was shown for so long. It would have been easy to show a young Doyle in that photo, but they did not do so. Was that a clue as to the truth? As another reviewer points out, Adam could be delusional. I have this question: How could an older Doyle be posing with his mom if he was much younger when he killed her? If Fenton was a true demon, why did he not kill his Dad before his Dad killed him? Daddy was trusting enough to sleep with Fenton in the house, Otis was available, or a sharp knife. Fenton was shown to be physically resilient and, despite the power which protected Dad, Fenton was able to kill the man quite handily... Demons were declared to be completely merciless, but Fenton did not kill Adam in his sleep, nor with the axe, as he could have done. He need not have left the axe in Dad's chest, please remember.

Dad killed the old sheriff. Why? Because the angel had said someone would have to die if someone snitched about Dad's holy mission... But who would seek that vengeance? God claims the right of vengeance. Daddy Meiks took it upon himself to wreak vengeance for Fenton revealing the plan. I doubt if God would take kindly to that. It looked far away, but the entrance to the cellar was very close by when Fenton and the old sheriff had their little conversation... which revealed the old man was exasperated beyond endurance with Fenton's 'lies'. Daddy Meiks had to have heard them. He knew God covered his tracks under worse circumstances than this (Kidnapping an old man in broad daylight in a crowded parking lot comes to mind for starters.), but he slaughtered the sheriff anyway. Supposedly, the old man was a friend of his. Is this the actions of a man doing God's work? Like many so-called Christians, Daddy is quite willing to blame Fenton for murdering the sheriff. The DEVIL made me do it!" In other words, Daddy Meiks would not take the blame for his own sins.

There's a little more to think about. Daddy Meiks was told Fenton was a demon... and Dad touches Fenton's bare skin with his bare hands for what seems like a long time. Daddy proclaims his love for his son; saying he loves Fenton and values him more than his own life. He then proceeds to torture Fenton to within an inch of the child's life, in order to prove to the angel Fenton is NOT a demon. Finally, Fenton admits to being wrong and Dad receives him back into the family with full honors... if Fenton will kill the next demon Daddy captures. Since Hanley himself claims demons are remorseless killers, and very cunning, why would Fenton put himself through this? Seems to me he would have agreed from the get-go and slaughtered Daddy, as he did, when Dad's guard was down. Why put himself through such an ordeal?

Maybe Fenton really was the truly moral one? Adam gave Fenton water during the torture... on Daddy's orders. I strongly feel that Adam would have given Fenton nothing if his father said not to. Adam saves Fenton from Daddy's axe, after the old sheriff is murdered. Was this not noble? Think about it... Why kill the fall-guy?

Paxton's commentary, at the end of Frailty, was very interesting... We are shown Adam's wife, and she is pregnant. Paxton says, "See? There's another demon..." and waits what seems to me to be a rather long time to correct himself, saying demon hunter instead. Huh? And that long panning shot.... as the camera pulls away. Why, if Adam and his wife are working for God, does the DEMONIC opening music start in? It does not start after the credits begin rolling, but well before it. And Paxton insisted that the opening themes be used. It is NOT godly music, by any stretch of the imagination.

Talk about subversive... Is Adam really a demon? Is he following Satan's orders, thinking that the devil is GOD? Paxton says he sees the movie as Dad's tragedy... he was killed because of Fenton's cunning. With this in mind, the movie plays really differently on a second viewing. However, what if I am right? That Daddy Meiks was sincere cannot be doubted: he really did think he was working for God, and he truly loved Fenton, as misguided as his actions were. And Fenton really was the kindly, humane older brother... this would make it a double tragedy... Dad's and Fenton's. What about Adam? His is the heart and mind and soul of the born psychopath. Watch him as an adult... watch him as a child.

Yes, Daddy Meiks, there really was a demon in your family. Guess who! And wouldn't the right-wing Christian community have LOVED such a message? My rating? If Fenton was the demon- 5 out of 10... If Adam was... 9 out of 10. Take your pick!

This movie made me really quite angry. Technically, it's well done and it has some scenes that will have you at the edge of your seats. But who the hell financed its making? The "United States Christian Serial Killer Association"?? The movie seems to be saying that guys who kill a lot of people, claiming that God told them to do it- are probably right! They know things you and I don't. Hello?? What kind of message is THAT? That the brother showing up at the office of the Powers Boothe character turns out to be the younger brother who naively went along with the lunacy of his father from the beginning was a nice plot twist, but what follows as soon as they reach the notorious rose garden is an insult to the audience. Even if you're a Christian -which I am not- there can't be any justification for the message this movie's ending is sending, what with "Thou shalt not kill" and all...these self-styled demon-killers would roast in hell.

I watched this on a rental-DVD not really expecting too much from it. But it surprised me a bit, and i felt it was a rather fresh take on the tired serial killer/horror-genre.

There is a serial killer on the loose, calling himself "Gods hands". One day a man steps into an FBI-agents office claiming that the killer might be his brother. The rest of the film is then told in flashbacks as the man tells of his and his brothers upbringing with a strictly religious and disturbed father.

This film is directed by actor-legend Bill Paxton, and also stars Paxton as the disturbed father. And i must say i think he does a good job both directing and acting here. Most of the cast perform well, not least the young boys portraying the brothers in the flashbacks. Also, Matthew McConaughey performs well as one of the grown-up boys.

What i think raises this film a little over the usual breed of clichéd horror films are a couple things. First of all the plot twists here (without saying too much) actually surprised me somewhat. And from what i read in the IMDb forums some people STILL don't get it... Also the ideas feel rather fresh, and the mood in the film is well maintained overall.

So, don't expect a miracle when you watch this, it's not THE horror movie of the year. But it is solidly entertaining a just odd enough to make it stand out. I rate it 6/10.

<Spoiler Warning, don't read if you haven't seen and don't want to be spoiled>

Would have been good if it had remained ambiguous, rather than driving an interpretation in towards the end. With an ambiguous ending it would have left me thinking, wondering and liking the film. The final scene would have been very difficult and would have been almost haunting. But the way it ended you can only enjoy the movie if you are a person of faith and believe in god, etc...otherwise you will find yourself very annoyed. Its like going to a movie and finding out you ended up in a church instead. And a complex rich story becomes a cardboard simple movie that only has suspense because things are omitted and you are lied to.

It really is a shame.

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-

This thriller was obviously a labour of love for actor Bill Paxton, who directs and also stars in the leading role as a man convinced that the world is populated by demons masquerading as humans and who believes that God has given him a mission to kill them all. It sounds pretty odd, and it is, and it also could have been extremely cheesy BUFFY-style entertainment if handled wrongly. Instead, everything goes right with this film: great acting, direction, cinematography – and as a result it becomes one of the most disturbing mainstream films I've seen in recent years.

The film works because you're never sure whether the characters really do have some supernatural mission from God or whether they're criminally insane. You do find out at the climax, and I have to say that knowledge spoils what otherwise would have been a flawless film; knowing for sure subtracts from the carefully built suspense that has come before. Otherwise, this is literate and engaging, boasting a truly frightening performance from nice-guy Bill Paxton playing to form, as well as some excellent support from a career-best Matthew McConaughey and Powers Boothe, an actor who can do no wrong in my eyes. The grisly subject matter might be a turn off for some, but the carefully detailed human relationships that are kept first and foremost are what made me keep watching this one.

Making or watching a horror movie about crazy people is not that crazy nowadays - it must be the times, news are probably more unsane than much of the screen or literary fiction. 'Frailty' is the story of a family of serial killers who behave like a low-class American family drawn crazy by the father's religious visions. However unsane and fantastic this seems, we have heard worse in the news already.

The film is worth watching, though I confess it is not exactly my genre, neither my preferred style. Bill Paxton plays the lead role, and he also directs in what seems to be his first major movie. Directing is a little bit HBO style, with a touch of X-Files. I hate story telling in the background, and this movie has a lot of it. Having children involved in the making of such a dark movie is problematic, but well, this is what the story is about... The script is interesting enough to keep interest, it has twists and surprises that compensate the conventional cinema making that dominates the movie. The final message is rather ambiguous, and I am wondering if some viewers may take it as a kind of justification for serial killing on religious basis, though this may not have been at all the intention.

Not bad, overall. 7/10 on my personal scale.