ARTSETC.
“Frailty” has what it takes…for the first hour
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Monday, April 15, 2002
GRADE: B/C
Ever since “The Usual Suspects,” Hollywood has produced a rash of films with a “big twist” ending to surprise and shock the viewer. “Frailty,” a new movie from Lions Gate films starring Mathew McConaughey (“The Wedding Planner”) and Bill Paxton (“Twister”), continues this trend.
Reminiscent of other psychological/supernatural thrillers such as “The Sixth Sense” and “Unbreakable,” “Frailty,” — while entertaining — does not meet the mark set by these two previous films.
The film starts out strongly, with a sufficiently creepy story line, but it falls apart at the end with its obligatory “twist” and unnecessary epilogue.
The story revolves around Fenton Meeks (McConaughey) who seeks out FBI agent Wesley Doyle (Powers Boothe, “Men of Honor”) to confess that he knows who is committing a rash of Texas murders known as the “God Hands killings.” The killer, he claims, is his younger brother Adam. He then relates a bizarre tale of how his father (Paxton) had a vision from God when he and his brother were children.
The vision — brought to him by an angel — explained that he and his children were chosen by God to seek out and destroy demons in human form. Their father quickly spirals into a series of serial killings while his son Fenton must watch in horror at what his father has become. Meanwhile, Fenton’s younger brother Adam supports his father’s actions whole-heartedly.
It is at this point that the movie is at its most interesting and psychologically thrilling. Watching the Meeks family move from a close-knit, loving unit, into a team of killers doing “God’s work” is a psychological trip. The movie skirts the issue of whether or not the father’s visions are real, but instead the story is told from Fenton’s point of view, who does not believe his father.
Fenton must struggle between the love he has for his father and his own personal revulsion at his father’s action. Paxton, who also directs, puts forth an excellent performance that perfectly captures father Meeks as a loving parent who seems too nice to be a serial killer.
“Frailty” keeps the violence and gore to a minimum, which is a welcome change from typical serial-killer movies that depend on blood and gore to sell tickets. Most of the violence takes place off-screen, letting the viewer fill in the details.
It is at the end that “Frailty” unravels at the seams. In keeping with recent trends set by other psychological/supernatural thrillers, “Frailty” tries to stick on a “big twist” ending. The ending felt like the writers tacked on an ending from a completely different movie, and does much to negate the good things in the first 80 minutes of the film. By the time the ending comes, it feels predictable and totally contrived. It seemed to be added to create a “you’ve got to see it for yourself” buzz to sell more tickets.
All in all, “Frailty” is worth seeing. The initial 80 minutes of the film have the makings of a first-rate thriller, and if you like movies such as “Unbreakable” and “The Sixth Sense” you will enjoy it. However, be prepared for the lame “twist” ending.
