Frailty

  • Review Date: April 27, 2003
  • R
  • Genre: Thriller
  • 2002
 Review

Common Sense Media says

Violent and ultimately uneven and unsatisfying.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that many children will be disturbed by the spectacle of a loving father going crazy and becoming a homicidal maniac, and the consequences for the family. There are a number of shocking and tense moments among all the schlock.

  • Multiple grisly murders (mostly offscreen, deranged parent, child locked u.
  • Not applicable.
  • Some strong language

What's the story?

FRAILTY begins with Fenton Meiks, (Matthew McConaughey) a troubled-looking young man, has walking into an FBI office and claiming to know the identity of the serial killer known as "God's Hands." The story unfolds in flashback. Fenton describes growing up with his widower father (Bill Paxton) and younger brother Adam in a generally happy household. Then one night, he gets the boys out of bed to tell them that they're living in the End Times, and God has selected the family to seek out and destroy demons. The demons look like ordinary humans, but Dad knows the difference -- he can see their sins at the moment he dispatches them by touching them with his hands. He uses a divinely selected ax and a lead pipe to perform the actual "destruction" of the demons. Adam, the younger and more pious of the brothers, believes what his father tells him and immediately throws himself into the role of divinely appointed avenger. Fenton, older, keeps his doubts secret until his father actually drags home a bound woman, who he executes in front of his children. Fenton is horrified, but forced to take an increasingly active role in the "demon" hunting. Dad realizes it's difficult for his son to accept his new role in the universe. Nevertheless, as Fenton resists more and more, his father takes increasingly stern action.


Is it any good?

 

Many great horror movies deal with families; that is where we are all most sensitive. This uneven film exploits that vulnerability but is ultimately unsatisfying. The genuinely horrifying premise of this film is undercut by its ham-handed writing, which makes the plot even less plausible. The dialogue is full of wooden homilies like "The truth is pretty unbelievable sometimes." The dialogue is unintentionally funny at a number of points, especially when Bill Paxton is carefully delivering exposition on his insane plot. What is supposed to be a chilling matter of fact tone sounds more like a cold reading of the script.

This is not to say that the film is not frightening. The "destructions" are horrifying. The fact that we do not see the worst leaves the graphic details up to our imaginations. The scenes of Fenton locked in the cellar are extremely harrowing. But the most disturbing aspect of the plot is that the murders take place in front of the young sons, and committed by a beloved father. As Alfred Hitchcock said of the death of a child in an early film of his, "It was an abuse of cinematic power." For a film as empty as Frailty, there is simply no excuse.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about both Adam and Fenton's reaction to their father's revelations. What would you do if your father or mother told you they were commanded by God to kill the guilty? An especially troubling aspect of the movie implies that the father's visions are real, and that God has actually selected a number of people to kill specific evildoers with an ax. Families of any faith will want to discuss the difference between the movie's depiction and real-world religion.


This review was written by Nell Minow
Parent of 16 year old
November 8, 2009
 
A great and really eerie psychological thriller. I love how all the murders are not shown and left to the imagination. This movie contains very dark themes and violent scenes, but only one with blood. It had an excellent twist at the end which is what really made this great.

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Parent of 12 year old
April 7, 2011
 
Great for adults, Not for kids.
This is a great movie with an awesome twist. My concerns for younger viewers watching this movie is the violence. There are many murders, most of them are off screen and only implied but you do get to witness a brutal stabbing that takes place behind a white sheet. The charaters are silhouetted but the blood splatters everywhere. Language is another main concern. F*ck is used four times, B*tch is used twice and sh*t is used once. The word t*ts is also used when referring to a womens chest. A conversation also takes place stating that Santa is not real because they caught dad putting the gifts under the tree. In conclusion, this is a great movie for adults but not for kids.

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 

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This review was written by Nell Minow
Studio:Lionsgate
Director:Bill Paxton
Cast:Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, Powers Boothe
Genre:Thriller
Run time:100 minutes
Theatrical release date:April 12, 2002
DVD release date:September 17, 2002
MPAA rating:R
MPAA explanation:violence

This review was written by Nell Minow
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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