Frailty – Review

Frailty is a sneaky little picture with a good cast. Opening with some newspaper and crime scene-esque credits, you know you are in for something dark and mischievous.

FBI headquarters, Dallas, TX: A silver prowler pulls up late at night, and FBI Agent Wesley Doyle (Boothe) steps out of his car and walks into the office, all captured on surveillance cameras. He asks the inner guard what the ambulance outside is there for. She doesn’t know.

Doyle has been called in, as a man is asking for the agent in charge of the “God’s Hand” case. He won’t talk to anyone else. Doyle meets the man, who is Fenton Meiks (McConaughey), and says this may sound crazy, but he knows who the killer is. Doyle doubts this. Meiks says sometimes truth defies reason.

He says he knows his brother Adam (Kreis) is the notorious killer. Fenton got a call the evening before, and his brother was speaking of demons taking over the world. He couldn’t destroy them all. He asks to be taken to the rose garden. Then, Adam took out his gun and killed himself.

From here, things only get crazier. The audience is taken through some flashbacks and some additional info as the movie weaves its mystery tale of death and psychological trauma. It is best to go in mostly blind, so just know that this is an interesting serial killer thriller with many twists and turns. There are religious and psychological undertones throughout.

Mostly there is also a lot of talking, so those desiring a blistering paced procedural won’t find that here. Instead, it is a slow burn puzzler with wild plot turns, and is never boring. If you got the joy joy joy joy down in your heart, then you may dig this one.

Both the younger flashback kids of Fenton (O’Leary) and Adam (Sumpter) do a great job and bring strong performances. The script is pretty good and director/actor Bill Paxton does a great job in those dual roles. It is always good to see him again, and it’s too bad he didn’t direct more films.

Frailty can knock you for a loop if you let it, and allow yourself to take it in. It is smartly presented and surfaces some fairly bonkers conundrums, while playing out a wild underlying plot. While it is about a killer, and has dark themes and creepy moments, it is not overly graphic. Come take a trip to the rose garden.