Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Frailty (2001)
Director: Bill Paxton
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Texas: the 'God's Hand Murderer' has eluded the FBI for so long that when agent Doyle (Boothe) receives a visit from one Fenton Meiks (McConaughey), who claims to know the identity of the serial killer, his response is sceptical. Still, Doyle listens to the story, which starts in 1979, when Fenton, aged 12, and Adam, nine, lived happily with their widowed dad (Paxton) - until one night, when he burst into their room claiming to have been visited by an angel. Their divine mission, henceforth, was to seek out and destroy any 'demons' walking the earth disguised as ordinary folk. Paxton's first movie as director is better than you might expect. It has a first rate cast, and Bill Butler's camerawork and some deft editing help to crank up the tension. Some scenes are a little primitive in execution, but that's sometimes a benefit in this kind of American Gothic. Brent Hanley's script, while ultimately too tricky and tortuous for its own good, boasts enough intriguing developments to hold the attention, and it also treats such motifs as child abuse, paranoid delusion and religious mania with more than a little intelligence.Author: GA
Cast & crew
Director: Bill Paxton
Producer: David Kirschner, David Blocker, Corey Sienega
Cast: Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, Powers Boothe, Luke Askew, Jeremy Sumpter, Matt O'Leary, Derek Cheetwood, Melissa Crider full cast
Genre(s): Thrillers
Duration: 100 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Has David Cronenberg turned tame?
Has director David Cronenberg veered too far from his radical and bloody roots with new film 'A Dangerous Method'?
The 10 worst date movies
Just in time for Valentine's Day, we present ten of the least romantic films ever made
Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films
Find out where to watch 2012's Oscar-nominated films in London cinemas
10 unlikely badboy biopics
Featuring Phil Collins, Jeremy Clarkson, Nick Clegg, David Starkey and a host of other unlikely subjects
Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'
The first-time director of the brilliant new thriller discusses religious cults and robot boxing
Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day
Side-step romantic clichés with some alternative Valentine’s viewing






What do you think?
Post your review now