| Overall Grade: |
A- |
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| Story: |
A- |
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| Acting: |
A |
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| Direction: |
A- |
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| Visuals: |
B- |
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A psychological thriller...
by john (movies profile)
Oct 28, 2007
5
of
5 people found this review helpful
I watched 'Frailty' at a local theater. This movie is intended for adults, and maybe more so
than a MPA Rating can forewarn. It is a gothic/psychological thriller. Producer David Kirschner spent a lot of his own money to get 'Frailty' made, and his investment will pay-off for years to come. This is Bill Paxton's directorial debut, and it is a spectacular one. Paxton describes himself as liking gothic film-making, and he brings that mood to 'Frailty'. There is an overwhelming feeling of dread from the moment the movie begins, and you know that you're in for disturbing things. Frailty is a disturbing movie in the sense that it challenges very traditional principles, but it does so fairly. At one hour and forty minutes, it won't exhaust your attention span, but if you think it plays a little slow and makes you think, don't be confused, you may have ADD. This film relies heavily on performances by Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Matthew O'Leary, and Jeremy Sumpter, but none more than Matthew O'Leary's, and he does a fine job. I've never seen a movie be so bold, and daring with religion, and that is what makes it unique. The music in Frailty is foreboding, and ultimately describes the nature of the film, which is disturbing and tragic. The violence in Frailty is mostly offscreen, and the worst of it is in the last fifteen minutes. The story begins with Matthew McConaughey as Fenton Meiks confessing his brother is the 'God's Hand' killer to an FBI agent. The story then wanders through a retrospective that mostly includes his childhood. One of the interresting things about Frailty is not just the question, who are the villains, but if they are villains at all. Though the intention of the conclusion is obvious, the viewers perception of the movie depends largely upon how 'willing' we are to accept the conclusion. Whatever you believe, it is a bold and original story that supposes an incredible idea, and asks, "What if?". If you're a connoisseur of psychological thrillers, you should definately enjoy this movie.
Roger Ebert touched on the most interresting point about this film that perhaps gets overlooked, "religion supplies the rationale for violence all over the world". |
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