Frailty (2001)

"We don't kill people, we destroy demons."

"Frailty" is the story of Fenton and Adam Meiks and the strange relationship they have with their father, played by Bill Paxton (who also directs). In the present, adult Fenton (Matthew McConaughey) visits FBI Agent Wesley Doyle (Powers Boothe) who is on the trail of the God's Hand killer. Fenton has just stolen the ambulance containing the recently deceased body of his brother Adam so he could keep good on a promise he made long ago to bury Adam in the rose garden next to where they grew up. He tells Agent Doyle that he believes his brother Adam to have been the God's Hand killer and recounts the strange story of their childhood. You see, 20 some odd years ago, Adam and Fenton's Father claims to have been visited by an Angel who reveals to him that there are demons in the world hiding under the guise of normal, everyday people and that it is their duty to eliminate these demons. The Father (who is never named) is given tools to complete this task that include gloves to keep his hands from revealing the demon's identity until the right time, a lead pipe to knock them out with and an axe named 'OTIS' with which to destroy them. Adam immediately believes his father to be right but Fenton doubts the validity of his claims and believes the father to be insane.

I loved "Frailty" when I first saw it almost 10 years ago and I still love it today. I think it's a hidden gem that next to nobody remembers and that's unfortunate. The performances are all strong here, especially in Paxton, McConaughey, Matt O'Leary (Young Fenton) and Jeremy Sumpter (Young Adam) as they carry a concept that can occasionally feel goofy and unbelievable until the movie is over and you know that truth. I'm too desensitized by horror films to be scared by anything anymore but "Frailty" is definitely unsettling for a variety of spoiler-filled reasons. You really feel for the children as their father appears to be descending very quickly into madness. You hear all the time about people who kill because, as they claim, "God told me to do it." but "Frailty" takes this concept and spins it in a way that has you looking at those crazies who claim they murdered righteously in a whole new way. If you're into horror flicks or just something suspenseful to watch on a dark and rainy night, then "Frailty" is the answer you seek. 4.5/5 -andy