FRAILTY

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, Matthew O'Leary and Bill Paxton
Director: Bill Paxton
Running Time: 100 mins
Certificate: 15

Available to buy on DVD 7th April

Demanding to see the FBI agent in charge of the "God Hand" serial killer case, Fenton Meiks (McConaughey) tells Agent Wesley Doyle (Boothe) that he believes that his brother is behind the murders. Asking him why he thinks this, Fenton tells the Doyle how his father (Paxton) believed that God had given him a sacred task, to wipe out all the demons on Earth and that his brother was continuing his father's holy quest.

Actor Bill Paxton takes a seat in the director's chair for the first time and delivers a movie that any directing veteran would be proud of.

This dark and moody horror thriller has all the hallmarks Paxton's director friends Sam Raimi and James Cameron, especially Raimi's A Simple Plan and The Gift. His use of light and shadow to enhance the suspense make this a creepy and unsettling piece of horror. Seeing the events from a child's prospective and the religious elements of the plot only adds to the disturbing nature of the terror, giving the movie an extra edge.

Effectively using flashback to show how the Father became a Demon slayer, the movie is at its most frightening during the execution scenes. While they are not overly graphic, it is the reactions of the children and the father's shear believe that what he was doing was God's will, which grabs you and sends a shiver down your spine.

Being an actor, Paxton gets the best out of his cast. Matthew McConaughey narrates the movie to Powers Boothe and they both come into their own in the pivotal moments of the finale. Bill Paxton himself is very effective as the head of the family, transforming from an ordinary average guy into, what he thinks, an avenging angel. It is young Matthew O'Leary who grabs your attention however. He is another very talented child actor whose portrayal of pure fear at what his father has done is a credit to his craft and the director's understanding of actors.

The only thing that lets the movie down is the overly predictable ending. There is a twist that is almost telegraphed before it happens, if you watch closely enough, but this should not put you off what is a very good character driven, horror thriller. I can't wait to see what director Bill Paxton does next.

Theatrical trailer


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