 |
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Visitors since
April 1999.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FRAILTY
 
Starring Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey,
Powers Boothe, Matt O’Leary and Jeremy Sumpter
Director Bill Paxton
Canadian Rating 14A
Released by Lions Gate Films - 04/02
I have a confession to make. I’m a huge Bill Paxton fan. You’ve seen the man in such high-profile blockbusters as “Titanic” (in which he played a modern-day treasure hunter), “Twister” (in which he ran from tornadoes) and “True Lies” (in which he memorably, hilariously played the used-car salesman foil to peeved secret agent and protective husband Arnold Schwarzenegger). You remember the desperate cries of his Private Hudson as the situation went from bad to worse in “Aliens” (another James Cameron masterwork). But there’s another side to Bill Paxton - a side of smaller, independent productions that really unveil his understated acting talents. You may have seen Sam Raimi’s “A Simple Plan”, a chilling study in mankind’s insatiable greed for the American dream in cash value, which featured an excellent lead performance from Paxton (holding his own with Academy Award-nominee Billy Bob Thornton). An earlier film that unleashed the actor into the independent market was “One False Move”, another first-rate character study (oddly enough, again co-starring Thornton) that garnered Paxton muchos praise for his touching, layered portrayal of a naive small-town sheriff who gets a taste of big-time law enforcement.
“Frailty” is Bill Paxton’s directorial debut, and it belongs in the latter category of his filmography. It’s a low-budget effort in which he also takes a starring role - that of Mr. Meiks, a widowed Texas mechanic with two young sons to raise. One night, Dad comes into the room of 9-year old Adam (Jeremy Sumpter) and 12-year old Fenton (Matthew O'Leary) to tell them he has been visited by an angel. It seems God has given the Meiks family a mission: to do away with a list of local folk who are, in fact, demons in disguise. God will send them three weapons for this task and the names of the demons will follow. Adam believes what his father is telling them, and is eager to do God’s bidding. But Fenton is frightened, assuring himself his father’s vision was just a dream everything will go away. “Dad....” he offers, “..maybe you’re not right in the head.” Seems like a fair enough assessment. These events are set in the past, while in present time, grown-up Fenton (Matthew McConaughey) has just walked into the office of FBI man Wesley Doyle (Powers Boothe) to tell him he knows who the perpetrator of a series of grisly serial killings (dubbed the ‘God’s Hands’ murders) is, and he intends to share his story.
There is no bones about it: “Frailty” is a sick, twisted film, and it is not for everyone. The mood of this deeply disturbing movie still looms in the air several days after viewing. But in his directorial debut, Paxton does not stoop to cheap exploitation. Two children are involved in the violent mayhem, but he does not manipulate our emotions and he keeps almost all of the splatter off-screen (a most honorable move in the midst of our brainless slasher era). “Frailty” is an outstanding debut from Paxton, and his construction of the film is brilliant; the frequent use of fade-out scene transitions would normally annoy the heck out of me, but here, it seems to service the graceful narrative flow of the film. Paxton’s subtle approach serves the challenging themes in Brent Hanley’s screenplay wonderfully well, and his framing of each shot is impeccable (in fact, I loved all but one in the film - you’ll know it when you see it). The modern scenes set in the FBI office are drenched in delicious atmosphere. The score, by Brian Tyler, is incredibly eerie in its simplicity and not soon forgotten.
Of course, neither is the film itself, which is like Hitchcock meets King meets Reverend Billy Graham. The performances range from solid to amazing, with McConaughey chilling in his ominous role and Powers Boothe (who, for a minute there, I thought was MIA) terrific as the law dog. But the real kudos goes to O’Leary, the mature and assured young actor from “Domestic Disturbance”, who delivers an unforgettable turn as the emotionally tortured eldest Meiks brother, and Paxton himself. He underplays the role of ‘Dad’ to phenomenal success. It’s even more frightening to comprehend because Mr. Meiks loves his children. He’s not a raving lunatic. He is carrying out what he believes is God’s will, and being a Christian man, he is devoted to his axe-wielding duties. Hanley’s script is thought-provoking and even profound in its examination of faith and religious fanaticism. Paxton doesn’t believe he’s committing murder, because it’s the work of God. His victims are demons. Of course, maybe he’s not right in the head.
“Frailty” ends with a few somersault twists, which seem like they belong in a lesser movie, but fascinate nonetheless. They alter some of the viewer’s previous perceptions. Or do they? Please see “Frailty” for yourself to decide. It’s an effective, involving and controversial horror-drama that represents one of the finest directorial debuts from an actor in years. It may also take that long to get the chill this film has inflicted out of my spine.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
©2003, 2002 Jamey Hughton |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
