The Concordian

Blood, mixed with demons, plus a dash of insanity, and just a little family love for taste, and you have a great movie. This is usually some of the criteria that I set forth when looking for a psychological thriller to settle down with.

Frailty, a 2001, rated “R”, thriller starring Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, and Matt O’Leary is a movie about a man who confesses to an FBI agent about killings that his father committed when he was a boy. The father, played by Bill Paxton, was a religious fanatic who killed “demons” that were pointed out by God.

Frailty is a movie about doing God’s will, but the question is whether it’s insanity or the truth. Bill Paxton does an excellent job playing the father to young Fenton (Matt O’Leary) and Adam (Jeremy Sumpter) Meiks. One day, after returning home from work, he tells his two children that God has a job for them all to do, and it is to destroy demons. The entire story is being told by the older Fenton (Matthew McConaughey) to an FBI agent who has been investigating the “God’s Hands” killings for years.

McConaughey does an excellent job of weaving the story and drawing in his audience. He gives the insanity just a little bit of credibility. Paxton also does a great job of playing the role of the crazy man. No one could have possibly pulled off the part any better than him. He makes killing people seem like an everyday job. Matt O’Leary, who plays the younger version of Fenton Meiks, does a bang-up job in his role of the kid who tries to stop his crazy father.

During one part of the movie, young Fenton even dares to defy his father, and suffers the consequences of such an action. He’s made to dig an entire underground cellar by hand, thus learning the importance of obedience to both God and his father. Through perseverance of body and will, he finishes the job while still being defiant.

This is definitely a great movie that can be enjoyed more than once. The actors put an almost realistic spin on the plot, and draw you into the action. It has just enough of crazy, and bloody to make it fun, but not over the top. Watchers beware however. This is not a movie made for little eyes. Wait until the kiddies are in bed before popping it in. Once they’re asleep, however, watch on!

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