Frailty 9/10

Im surprised that no one has a thread going on this film. IMO its the only decent US horror flick to be made in the last 5 years.

Made in the classic style with awesome use of moody noir style lighting this film stays with you long after the end credits role.

An absolute corker of a script is believable played out by all actors involved. Paxton does a great job of staying focused and delivery a well thought out suspense/horror piece.

The less said about the plot the better it will be for first time viewers. Just know its a movie that you must see from beginng to end in one sitting to get the full effect. This is one hell of an under rated gem that ranks right alongside DOG SOLDIERS (8/10) and BELOW (8/10) as good films largely ignored due to lack of marketing.

Must see for all those who havent yet had the pleasure and well worth repeat screenings.

Go on all you horror fans do yourself a favour and pick up this bad boy.


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******"The Majority Is Always Wrong" Steve Mcqueen in Enemy Of The People******

Kong saw it a little over a year ago, and didn't like it.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

It did a decent enough job of creating atmosphere, but Kong saw the first twist coming after just 20 minutes had gone by, and the final revelation wasn't much of a surprise either! That really killed a lot of the suspense. Kong thought that the end should have remained more ambiguous well, but by then it didn't matter all that much to Kong.

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Come on people, this movie is to good to ignore.....fans of high quality thrillers with a punch can do far worse than see this gem that delivers.

Still no one has given this film, arguably one of the best in recent years a chance.............

Im so depressed, please someone, just for me, give this one a go........I cant imagine thriller fans being disappointed...

Im going to cry now.

[quote=Deckard]Im so depressed, please someone, just for me, give this one a go........I cant imagine thriller fans being disappointed...QUOTE]

Hey! Kong likes thrillers!

Hey! Kong likes thrillers![/quote]


Sorry Kong,didn't mean to offend. Plus 9 times out of 10 I completly agree with your opinions on films and it seems we admire alot of the same territory as far as directors, actors and foreign/arthouse cinema etc .

Im actually quite surprised you didn't appreciate what Paxton achieved with this very controlled film. Escpecially when compared to the other US entries in the horror genre over the last 5 years. At least this one resonates and confronts its audience.





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**********SPOILERS>>>SPOILERS>>>>SPOIILERS>>>>>*************************

IMO the initial twist is meant to be figured out early that way it allows the mind to relax and just see how they get to the conclusion. The fact we assume Mccougnhay is the God's Hand killer only to discover the brother we had sympathy for throughout is the true psychopath. a clever slight of hand IMO by the writer. The innocent man is guilty and the guilty innocent. It only takes one fanatic to actually be right much like Bruce Willis in 12 Monkeys. Now I AGREE that ending with the revelation and leaving ambiguity would have been better.

However I think it was there to drill home the message to some of the slower audience members who make up the popular masses. So they can ponder the fact that all there sympathies throughout the movie could be upside down and back to front. It really does have that whole outer limits/Twilight Zone thing happening which I must admit Im a sucker for.

I also admire the fact that all the violence is handled in a controlled manner and is completly reactive. Rather than showing the horrors and killing the tension it ups the anti by having it all off screen so teh imagination runs rampant..

The deliberate pacing, phenomenal gothic atmosphere, moody cinematography and minimalistic score lift what is already an interesting premise to that of quality cinema.



Maybe Im wrong Kong, but I really think you should give this one a nother chance, maybe you were in teh wrong mood when you saw it or had certain expectations. I think you might find when you reobserve the entire canvas and look at the big picture again you will see this is a textured work littered with questions and ideas seldom tackled in cinema.

As I said maybe I am wrong and FRAILTY isn't for you, but I really think we have similar tastes in a lot of ways and on a repeat screening you may see a little of the gem I see sparkling bright in this underseen diamond in the rough.

Hey I have seen that movie and I have to agree with u Deckard it is one of the best horror movies in the US and I have to say the first time I say it didn't make sence but after I watched it again it all made since but I don't think it was really a horror movie it was more of a Thriller or Suspence

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"isn't it funny you hear a phone ring and it could be anybody, but a ringing phone has to be awnserd doesn't it................doesn't it"

A great, wonderful movie IMO. One of my favs.

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"I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!" - Howard Beale

heh, i just mentioned this movie in another thread. It's a ****** masterpiece.

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"There is nothing gratuitous about my films." - Dario Argento

okay a "gosh darn" masterpiece then

Thanks guys....nice to see some love in the room for this gem. I was worried for a while that I was teh only one.


Now if you dug this one check out Lucky McKee's Debut feature film MAY which is a corker Horror/black comedy that is highly original and immensely entertaining. It's a small indie film that has litle in common with Frailty other than its horror ideals and superb execution..

I've been wanting to see that for a while. Ebert gave it four stars. Thanks for the further recommendation of cool movies Deckard!

***Big Time Spoilers***

I watched Frailty last week knowing nothing about the film other than there being a "twist" toward the end. With that in mind, I picked up very early in the film that McCougnhay was not only the God's Hand killer, but also the blonde boy, Adam. The suspense was still good, and my suspicions regarding McCougnhay's character weren't spoiled. However, the best twist came when it was revealed that McCougnhay's character actually had the power, as did Paxton's. It was a nice surprise to see that Powers Booth's character murdered his mother, and and also that the older boy actually did turn out to be a "demon" by murdering "innocent" people and keeping them as trophies in his basement.

I didn't think the ending was ambiguous at all. In fact, I thought it tied all the loose ends very neatly. McCougnhay's character, Adam, was actually getting names from God, so we are to believe. His brother never saw "angels," "God," or "demons," and became a demon himself because he was murdering "innocent" people.

My favorite scene is when we see the angel visit Paxton while he's under the car at the auto shop. The cinematography of the angel, and the way it's depicted, is wonderful.

McCougnhay's "gift" reminded me of Bruce Willis' gift in Unbreakable.

The only thing that bothers me about this film is that McCougnhay's character is telling the story in flashback from his brother's point of view. There are obviously a few scenes he had to make up, especially regarding feelings and thoughts, sense it was his brother who had experienced those things.

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Very nice Mark.

I too thought this was wonderful. Another element was how they (in a way) commented on other religious murderers. (This may sound odd, so bear with me). If those people who actually killed people thinking they were doing it for God were actually doing God's good work, then God would make sure no one would ever a) catch the killer b) even notice the "victem" was gone. Fenton was a false killer, and people noticed that he was killing people as "God's Hand". Adam was really doing his work for God, and as such, no one knew that there were victems.

Again, this is one of my favorite movies ever.

Loved it...Own it.....

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Frailty is a great movie!!!!