The Shining has had undue influence on the thriller genre ever since its late 70's release with Jack Nicholson's frightening performance. Its portrayal of how a normal man can suddenly start acting insane was very original back in its time of release. Now Bill Paxton tries his hand at directing and starring in Frailty, a film with the same premise of an ordinary man who goes crazy. Does Frailty rekindle memories of the Kubrick classic or is it just a shameless rip-off?
Fenton Meeks (Matthew McConaughey) is a seemingly normal man who comes to FBI one day with information concerning the identity of a serial killer branded "God's Hands." The FBI honchos are very wary of what Fenton says until they find out that the serial killer that they are searching for is Fenton's younger brother. Fenton then goes onto reveal that his father (Bill Paxton) cheered all of his sons on in his mission to rid the world of people considered by him to be evil. Until then, Fenton had kept the family secret out of loyalty to the man who was still his biological father. His sharing of the secret now could prove to be a big mistake.
To begin with, let me say that Frailty is a milestone for actor McConaughhey. It is so because it's easily his best performance in many years. It's hard to tell that this is the same guy who was in the awful The Wedding Planner. As Dad, Bill Paxton is suitably understated in his madness. When his character goes off the deep end I guarantee you'll be surprised by the startling transformation. His direction is also worth mentioning in the way he lets the suspense build slowly until the film becomes unbelievably frightening. Frailty is easily the most frighteningly disturbing thrillers that I've seen in a long while.
The script by Brett Hanley is Hitchcockian in nature with the right amount of Kubrick thrown in for good measure. The cinematography is appropriately and effectively dark in nature and well done by Bill Butler. The production design team of Nelson Coates and Kevin Cozen choose wisely to display a foreboding and dark, dank setting for the film. Music is a subtle but effective mix chosen by Brian Tyler. Finally a horror film without an overblown soundtrack that attempts to make the film more exciting than it really is.
Overall, Frailty is a superbly terrifying first directorial effort by Paxton that is well worth your money if thrillers float your boat.
Rating: 90
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