Frailty film review

certificate_15

FRAILTY

Bill Paxton makes a solid, although not exceptionally inspiring, directorial debut with his first feature. The blonde actor, best known for his roles in films such as Twister and Titanic obviously learned a lot from working with Sam Raimi on the under-rated 1998 thriller A Simple Plan and has created a macabre Hitchcockian tale of serial killing. However, despite an engaging first half, the film does tail off and never quite reaches the heights it sets out to achieve.

Late one night Fenton Meiks (Matthew McConaughey) walks into the office of FBI agent Wesley Doyle (Powers Boothe) and reveals that he knows the identity of the notorious 'God's Hand' killer, a serial killer that has evaded capture while racking up the body count. It's none other than Fenton's own brother Adam.

It turns out that when both brothers were children, their mechanic father (Bill Paxton) came home one day and announced that he had a vision. Many of the people living in their community were devils in disguise and it was the Meiks' responsibility to kill them on God's behalf. As McConaughey delivers his confession to Doyle, the film employs flashbacks to portray the increasing madness in the Meiks' household.

The set-up and directing of the tale are all first class, largely aided by some powerful acting. McConaughey gives a rare and subdued performance, effusing both honesty and menace at the same time. But in the flashback sequences it is Paxton who dominates. Normally associated with good guy roles, his descent into serial killing dementia is well-judged and chillingly effective.

However, once the tale has been told and Agent Doyle has to decide whether to believe it and what to do about it, a few loose ends start to creep in. Paxton delivers a plot twist too many to make the outcome truly satisfying. While the largely night-set thriller has an edgy feel, the lack of different settings and its over-talkative nature do occasionally give it the feel of a play adapted for the screen. A shame, because while it is by no means a terrible film, it could probably have been far more frightening.