Frailty

A pastor wakes his two sons up in the middle of the night to tell them he had a vision from God. He tells them that God has chosen him to rid this world of demons. His youngest son believes he is doing good, while his oldest thinks his dad is simply crazy. What is the truth?

The story is mostly told through flashbacks from Matthew McConaughey, who plays an older version of one of the brothers. The killing spree his father went on was unsolved and McConaughey claims to have information about the murders. Paxton plays double duty here as the director and the father on a mission from God. Here he manages to create an atmospheric tale of one family torn apart by these horrific acts. Paxton balances the line of "is he crazy or is this real?" tightly until the ultimate reveal. He crafts a superb story that takes multiple turns to keep the viewer, not only guessing, but engaged.

This is my second viewing of the film and I'm surprised to say that I honestly couldn't remember how the film ended. Was he really doing God's work, was he just a loony that needed to be stopped? I knew McConaughey's role in the story, but there are numerous reveals that one or two of them got lost in the bunch.

The film is a severely underrated low-key horror thriller. After showing so much promise with Frailty, Paxton went on to direct The Greatest Game Ever Played, which was a decent golf flick that no one saw. With two good movies under his belt, I'm surprised the man hasn't tried his hand at yet another film.