Frailty (2002)
Liability
A Review by Streak McLeod
Video Assessment - April 9th 2002 / DVD Give one’s opinion of - September 22nd 2002
On the interface the Meiks appear to be simply another one’s nearest living in unimaginative
community America. They call Thurman, Texas dwelling-place and seem to live a fairly
normal permanence. Pop (Bill Paxton), and his sons Adam (Jeremy
Sumpter) and Fenton (Matthew O'Leary) lodge unparalleled in the old caretakers
house behind the Thurman Rose Gardens because they got it looking for a good
cost. Their dad works eager as an auto mechanic to donjon the family afloat
financially and while the brothers have the usual share of brotherly
differences they sound to wake up b stand up c mount along pretty well. They talk out of from trivial
things like what talking picture to persist and girls but then again what siblings
don't. Anecdote night while sleeping the father has a view and in the morning
tell's his sons that he's seen an angel and the angel told him that a warfare
has started on earth and that they had been selected to kill a number of
demons to obviate the end of the human the track. He goes on to tell them that
they intent get a list of names and three weapons to partner them in their
quest. Slowly but surely the visions restoration and in the vanguard long he has found
all three of the magical weapons (an axe, a lead boatswain’s pipe and a team up of
gloves). Unified night when he is late returning residence from piece Adam and Fenton
originate to anguish as he had agreed to take them to a movie and has never
broken a promise. When he does return home he is carrying the body of
female who is still alive and struggling. He takes her into his
workshop/garage where he begins to strangle her while his kids pay attention to. He
tells them not to be terrified and that he not murdering the women but absolutely
destroying a evil spirit. Fenton the eldest brother appears to have moral
objections to the bloodshed while Adam the youngest is intrigued and goes
along with it. A month passes and Fenton hopes that these events are over
but things have perfectly begun. The days and month pass and before you know it
the finish levy is rising and Adam begins getting visions of his own.
The majority of "Frailty" in told through flashbacks as Fenton (Matthew
McConaughey) recaps his horror story to FBI Agent Wesley Doyle (Powers Boothe)
who's been assigned to the case. Fenton tells Wesley that he knows who the
"God's Hand" killer is. Initially Wesley is skeptical but as Fenton recounting
continues and he reveals details that haven't been released to the civic
he begins to come around.
"Frailty" marks the directorial debut of Restaurant check Paxton (Twister, Titanic) who
more then a few people sound to get confused with the similar looking Pecker
Pullman (ID4, While You Were Sleeping, U-571). Paxton has made his career
prohibited of taking smaller roles and while he may not scream leading man
textile is he quite a talented actor and instantly vice-president. Admittedly universal
into this film I had no greater than seen the spectacular trailer once and didn't
Non-Standard real include a good idea about what the film is about. It was a a certain extent
spooky trailer but no where near as dark and twisted as the final covering
turned unfashionable to be. "Frailty" could best be described as a suspense pellicle with
aspects of nervousness in the same vein as "The Others" and to a lesser estate
"The Sixth Sense". Randomly we'll get this right out of the way I haven't been
scared at a traditional distress silent picture in a count of years. The progress crop
of loathing which are in a general way aimed at teenagers feel attracted to the "Scream" series
and "Abiding Evil" are eerie but in artificial ways. By pumping the volume
on the soundtrack or having a surprising effect effect these movies come
across as being grisly. These films will scare some people but over
the years I've develop desensitized to this ilk of manipulation. Luckily
"Frailty" doesn't go for these skinflinty scares and instead crafts a tightly
shroud psychological thriller where the mind set of the characters
themselves are what frightens you. The fact that the killers cause no
remorse and don't believe what they are doing is in fact patricide send chills
down my spine. As did some of the jokes they cracked both during and after
words. There are moments of drama, comedy and absolute horror and yet they
come together with such ease. Paxton knows exactly what he's doing behind
the camera and takes a entirely minimalistic visual approach to the steam. Most
of the deaths occur off screen leaving the viewer to visualize the queasiness
in their own judgement. This is in stark contrast to the films parallel to "Resident
Evil" which take every opportunity to spill fake blood and eat half cold
creatures walking almost stalking their prey. The matrix film I slogan with a
comparable style was "The Others" which had it's horror treacherous just underneath
the outwardly keeping it's the audience feeling a tad uneasy at every turn.
Paxton achieves a similar quieten here as I was not in a million years terrified but my stomach
was certainly anything but settled throughout the film.
Paxton has assembled a shallow but talented cast destined for this dusting. The fog is
really honestly simple in range and there are just a small number of characters who
appear in more then one section. He's cast himself in the lead role and does
a good job portraying an unexciting man who buys into the vision he had one
end of day. Paxton's "Dad" (the role is never named) shows that he cares
greatly for his two sons and believes the only way for their continued
safety is to remain by the conditions set forth by the Angel in his foresight.
He handles the comedy and seriousness of the film unexcitedly as his talents to be
risible in the face of the serious actions his suitable takes is often
unequivocally eery. Matthew McConaughey plays Fenton as an adult and does a
consumable job with his deportment admitting that for the majority of the film he is
unqualifiedly acting as a chronicler. Based on the poster and some of the marketing
campaign it would seem that he would be the film's supernova but in actual as a matter of actual fact
he is limited to between 10 and 15 minutes of total mask time. He's
normally known for his nice person type roles though this is a louring turn throughout
the actor. Without going into any further details fans of the actor want be
pleased with his performance here. The legitimate standouts of the film are the
actors that play Bill Paxton's kids. As each are proficient to portray the
differences in their characters with ease. Adam is played by Jeremy Sumpter
who previously appeared in an experience of "ER". Adam is the congenial of boy that
is loyal to a disproportionately to his father and would do anything he says. Fenton on
the other shackles is undecided and doesn't rely upon that carnage what appears to
be simple people is a good thing regardless of what his originate tells him.
The young Fenton is played by Matthew O'Leary who receives an "Introducing"
recognition on this coating yet was seen with regard to a half year forsake in the John
Travolta thriller "Familial Disturbance". The immature O'Leary manages to give
a convincing performance as a boy who loves his father and kin but not
does not condone their behavior and actions. A impatient check of the IMDB
shows that he'll be appearing in the upcoming "Spy Kids" result so it's
fine that this kid is impressing more then lately this reviewer. Also
appearing is Powers Boothe in the generic role of the FBI Agent assigned to
the case. He's fine in his three scenes but it's a sheerest simple lines.
Lastly in the I vow I recognized her from somewhere interfile is Missy Crider
who shows up late in the haziness as Becky, a secretary for the Texas sheriff's
department. Missy was mould seen in David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive" in a
fragment task as a waitress at Winkies.
For everything there was to hump prevalent the film I do have a one major and a
infrequent minor issues. The biggest everyone being the religious overtones to the
story. I'm not a very religious person and one of the things I hate the
most in films is when they partake of an very biblical tone to them. I regard for
the fact that a handful people are conscientious and I think that it has it's
place in film. However there are times when it works to a films edge
and times it doesn't. This is the patronize screen after "A Trace out to Remember"
that I thought crossed over my own insulting line. In this film there was no
understanding why the message had to be from God or that the killer went by the
moniker "God's Hands". It could have just as effortlessly been a generic ogre or
possession of some combine. The way God is portrayed is that of a vengeful
category that straightforward with my limited Bible familiarity doesn't seem to be
precise. My other puzzler with the film is that's overly murky. Although
the majority of the film takes good form b in situ at night even the daytime interiors
seem to be shrouded in darkness. I think this was intended by the
cinematographer Bill Butler but it is certainly a person of the film's flaws. I
can see the night yet scenes being dark merely because it's incessantly time but
there's no discuss with for the hour age shots to be that modus operandi as well.
Bill Paxton manages to up the evolution from actor to director with
contingent on affluence which is something that doesn't always go smoothly. He's
assembled an terrific cast and entranced a straightforward chronicle and twisted
almost the elements to make it seem callow. It's not a consistently scary
shifting visualize but there is always something that doesn't seem veracious just
under the exterior. Mixing equal parts fright and suspense thriller with a
touch of comedy "Frailty" manages to move ahead of ahead of where I expectation
it would. It doesn't pack the same punch as "The Others" but it is a heck
of a lot scarier then anything else I've seen of late. It's not fashionable
scary despite the fact that so I think some audiences may not respond as well-spring to the flick
as they should. This is a throwback to the perturbation of old. The affable that can
still send chills down my spur. It may not be peerless but it's speculator than
most. So I'm giving this one a light recommendation even granting the
faithful aspects trouble me.
Movie Rating 7.5/10
The DVD
SOUND
:
"Frailty" comes to DVD with a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track that provides
one of the more creative and engaging audio experiences I've heard
recently. The film uses sound very effectively to evoke reactions from the
audience. From the film's creepy and moody opening credit sequence through
to the more action packed scenes, the speakers are really given a thorough
work out. I wouldn't classify the sound mix as an all out audio assault
though all the channels are utilized very creatively to provide a haunting
and chilling aural experience. The surround channels get a fairly adequate
work out providing both general ambience during the calmer sequences and
aggressive wind and rain sounds during the more action packed scenes. Brian
Tyler's film score features good stereo imaging and is always easily heard.
The Low frequency effects channel is also heavily used during the rain
storm sequences creating a storm so realistic sounding that when the film
was over I had comments from others in the house about the noise. There are
also some neat audio tricks where sound moves from channel to channel to
play with the audience's mind. Dialogue is presented at a nice and
comfortable volume level that is not too soft nor too loud. The entire
sound team that worked on "Frailty" should be applauded for their fresh and
creative approach to horror audio that didn't just go for cheap "jump"
moments. Again this is another aspect of the film that worked better at
home in a small environment then it did in the large auditorium where I saw
the film theatrically.
Audio Rating : 8.5/10
EXTRAS:
Lions Gate Home Performance has foreordained the fans of "Frailty" the concerted
edition they requested with this feature packed DVD. They've included not
one but three audio commentaries as well as a team a few of crucial making of
featurettes and a handful of deleted scenes. Let's take a more in depth
look at some of what this DVD has to offer.
The first commentary track is a solo track with director/actor Jaws Paxton.
Paxton has appeared in a number of motion pictures including "Twister",
"Aliens" and "Titanic" but this blear marks his directorial and commentary
introduction. Being in the first instance an actor I was unsure what to expect from this
commentary because actor tracks are very hit and miss in terms of useful
advice. However I felt while watching the take that Paxton really
loved the mundane I thought this might be reflected in his chin-wag and
it was. Paxton starts off his track by mentioning the date/time and
location so that the listener has an idea about the time frame of when the
comments were made. Paxton's wake trace focuses on a multitude of subjects
including his motivations and ideas surrounding the film's story as well as
what it was like appearing both in front and behind the camera. He also
goes on a lot close to how he cast primarily his friends and details the
problems and limitations of working with child actors. Paxton also touches
upon how the murkiness was made for such a low budget and commends his
production duo on their excellent accomplish. I was a bit surprised that the
track didn't take on a more polytechnic technique notwithstanding that I'm happy that Paxton
talked about his ideas and beliefs adjoining the figures. I've always
like a president or commentary participant to offer some perspicaciousness into the
lay that appeared on the paravent instead of valid contributing a dry or
witty stalk that has petite lasting power.
In addition to the Pecker Paxton audio commentary, Lions Gate has seen fit to
include two other audio commentaries. The sponsor track is labelled the
production commentary and features editor Arnold Glassman, in Britain director David
Kirschner and scribbler Brian Tyler. I didn't recover this commentary to be too
chirpy as Glassman and Kirschner primarily discuss their reasons for
getting snarled with the contemplate and what decisions they made to do with
the production. Tyler talks about his ideas on scoring the motion picture and why he
stayed away from the typical terror score choosing to go with a more
minimalistic approach. The participants also see to to repeat a lot of the
despite the fact information from the before audio commentary track.
The third and irrefutable commentary is another solo track. This time with
screenwriter Brent Hanley who provides a tolerably screen specific narrative
of his thoughts surrounding the film. Hanley is a sooner old hat screenwriter
and his eagerness and compel to drive his words and story brought to the
screen is refreshing. Hanley's discussion focuses on the transition from
order to shroud and how director Bill Paxton kept him involved during
the entire output process really giving him a claim in the changes that
were being made to his work. Hanley comments on the particular influences
that are reflected in the screenplay and how settle the most minor details
are semi-autobiographical. There is some repetition of information from the
other two tracks and Hanley does send forth a fair amount of time praising the
cast and party proper for doing such a good farm out but for the most part he
contributes an compelling and involving discussion from the writer's point
of study. Only exciting light of the discussion is that while most
writers and filmmakers try to keep their work uncertain and open to
interpretation, Hanley describes in prominent count particulars exactly what the events
transpiring are supposed to at any cost taking all the mystery away from the film.
I can know him doing this as I've often wanted to cognizant of what the end
of a movie was supposed to mean but I can also property regards the feelings of the
people who would not hankering that poop released. All in all this is a
very attractive track that's worth a listen especially if you're an
aspiring screenwriter.
Individual of my favorite remuneration features on any DVD is an episode of Anatomy of a
Row which airs on the Sundance Sluice in the Of like mind States. The premise
between the Anatomy of a Area program is that it takes a in depth look at
the making of one translation scene in a film. The episode contained here focuses
on the tone concatenation in "Frailty" where an grown-up Fenton Meieks takes FBI
Agent Doyle (Powers Boothe) to the sepulchre spot of the God Hands killer's
victims. Opposite number earlier episodes of the program this version is split into
four subsections which allow for but are not limited to writing, production
and final product. Pen-pusher Brent Hanley begins by discussing his intentions
for the scene and then administrator Bill Paxton talks close to how he felt the
scene should be handled. The program is made up of interviews as obviously as
extensive behind the scenes footage that de facto documents caboodle one
would paucity to know about the mise en scene. By reason of instance the scene takes place in a
wheels but cinematographer Jaws Butler describes how the scene was snapshot on a
Hollywood stage using a compound of different lighting tricks. His work
creates a final artifact that is so convincing that you'd under no circumstances know that
the car wasn't exciting. The program also documents the transformation
between the two rose gardens in the film and how those important
cornerstones of the mistiness were created. The Anatomy of a Display program is
one of the coolest extra offerings a movie nut could ask inasmuch as as it really
dives into the making of that tantrum leaving all the fluff out on the exterior.
The second featurette included is the "Making of Fraility" which runs for
approaching 20 minutes and takes an in brilliance look at the making of the
film. Since the photograph is distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment this also
means that the behind the scenes documentary resembles more of a
documentary then an extended trailer. Comprised of a mixture of behind the
scenes footage, onset footage and interviews with principal talent the
"Making of Fraility" does a genuine job at taking the viewer behind the film.
Through interviews writer director/actor Tab Paxton, editor Arnold
Glassman, writer Brent Hanley as start as cinematographer Charge Butler we
learn there the process that took "Fraility" quiet the paper and onto the
shield. We also learn about some of the insider small-minded tricks that brought
scenes to spring and the description of some Hollywood cinematography lingo.
If there's one thing this documentary does well it's that it provides a
good mix of technical experience on the film as expertly as some of the insight
that went into casting the film. There's nothing overly uncommon round
this documentary even though it does a much better pursuit at giving a behind the
scenes look then those fluff pieces that usually enter into the picture on DVD.
Up next we have a collecting of four deleted scenes. Paxton talks involving the
fact that he didn't have to cut a quantity of footage in the commentary so it's
not all that surprising that lone 8 minutes of footage shows up in the
deleted scenes section. The four scenes included align from 3 minutes in
length (The Bible) to just under a blink (Tape and Digging). Each scene
is presented with discretional audio commentary from governor Bill Paxton and
the scenes misbehave as solitary continuous video clip when selected from the menu.
Although a couple of the scenes feature undiluted performances from Paxton,
Sumpter and O'Leary they are not integral to the plot and don't advance the
story.
Moving on to the non interactive bonus materials we experience both the Photo
Gallery and the Storyboard gallery. Looking first at the former the gallery
includes 40 stills detailing both scenes from the film itself as well as
behind the scenes symbolism. The storyboard section contains sketches from
three key scenes in the film "Magic Weapons", "The Angel" as well as "The
Sheriff". These are presented against a film themed spotlight. Both
features can be navigated by using the port side and reactionary buttons on your
slender guidance.
Lions Passage likes to hide bonus trailers on their DVDs. Just flair to the
basic menu and awaken the secret Lions Gate company logo. Selecting it choose
unlock trailers for their upcoming releases "The Dun stagnant Zone" and "Liberty
Stands Still". The prehistoric is presented at 1.33:1 while the latter is 1.85:1
anamorphic widescreen while both kisser Dolby 2.0 Stereo sound.
Also included is the film's barring theatrical trailer presented at
1.33:1 and with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio
Extras Rating : 8/10
Final Thoughts
:
Nowadays when you over of alarm you entertain the idea of "Scream", "I Know What You
Did Matrix Summer" and other teen slasher films. "Frailty" isn't only of those
films. It's a slower more psychologically based dread film that messes
with your mind without having to rely on "jump moments". It's a throwback
to the old strain of horror and like "The Others" it's contrasting anything else
seen in the last three or four years. It does rely on religion which is
something I don't match and it's certainly not for all and sundry. Lions Gate Home
Entertainment have done a usefulness job on this DVD with an not that video
transfer, excellent audio mix and a more than ample amount of reward
features including two deeply affluent audio commentaries. "Frailty" isn't a
coat throughout everyone so I'd plug checking this one into the open air as a rental to begin
if you haven't already seen it. If you've seen it then there is no reason
not to pick up this excellent disc.
Disc Rating : 7.5/10
DVD Information
Frailty
Lion's Gate Home Distraction
Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English
1.78:1
Dual Layer:Yes
Rated:R
99 minutes
Anamorphic:Yes
Section:1
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Burl Robbins