This entire review is a SPOILER! This is only for those who've seen Frailty! You've been warned!
I either see Frailty as a genius movie, or a badly botched effort. I know what Hanley, the screenwriter, wanted. If the movie had been made according to his wishes, I would agree with the commentaries on the DVD and agree with the general premise as seen on the surface of the movie. However, as it stands, I do not see it that way at all. And there are subtle and not so subtle clues that Frailty was meant to be something altogether even more subversive than what is seen.
Other reviewers have spotted the anomalies, while others have gotten upset at the thought that Adam and Dad Meiks really were getting orders from God. I admit it... as a Christian, the thought does upset me, but not nearly enough to attack the producers and actors in writing or otherwise. And, I must admit, that Dad and Adam were receiving orders from a god... but which one? The God of the Bible? Or the God of the Earth? Either one could perform miracles... such as hiding Daddy Meiks' kidnappings, fuzzing up the video monitor, lousing up anyone's memory- and leading Daddy and Adam Meiks to think they are seeing demonic acts in the minds of innocent people. The first three quarters of the movie works perfectly, with nothing out of place, except Dad's supposed visions. We at first see Dad Meiks as a madman, a ruthless killer, and maniacal child abuser. When I first watched, I had the gut feeling that this was no tale of human insanity, but this was the Real McCoy- a supernatural thriller with vastly disturbing psychological undertones... and I was right. The clues given in the FBI building let any viewer know that some other power besides human capabilities is at work here. The fuzzing up of Adam's face in the video monitor might have been coincidence, but it's reinforced by the fact that a trained observer also could not remember Adam's face.... plus, there are Adam's visions, revealed in a chilling line up of scenes from the times Daddy Meiks laid his bare hands on the captured 'demons'.
Taken at face value, we are clearly shown that Adam has taken over Dad Meiks' holy mission, and is pursuing it with a flair Daddy Meiks never displayed. We see, on the surface, that Fenton Meiks was a demon, planted by dark powers to bring an end to Dad's righteous mission. And yes, Hanley did want Fenton to be the demon right from the beginning, well before Frailty was made. Colombine reared its tragic head above the horizon of public awareness while Frailty was in production, thus forcing some changes in the way the plot was presented. Adam was shown to be following God's orders, and he was a righteous human being, doing everything any good American should do: fighting evil with all of his cunning and might- and winning! The panning shot, as the camera pulled away from Adam and his lovely wife pounded that fact home, thus arousing the ire of many a Christian across this great land of ours....
But Bill Paxton's commentary opens up a whole new boiling kettle of worms, as does Brian Tyler's great score for the movie. I do think Bill Paxton has put together a different movie than the one that appears on the surface... and he gives clues in his commentary, and there's a great big clue in the story itself. I will get to it soon...
First, how many people did a double-take when Fenton asked Adam to bury him in the rose garden when Adam destroyed him? How many viewers felt as though the plot of a different movie had been pasted on? Matt O'Leary seemed to me to be as disbelieving in that twist as I was... way out of character for the character he had portrayed so excellently all through the movie. Did the kid forget how to act in just that one scene? Did Paxton forget how to direct? Was Fenton really the demon? Please remember that Fenton was the only character in the entire movie to display feelings of kindness and the actions of a thinking, rational, caring human being. Let's go over them, to the best of my memory....
Daddy Meiks, whatever his previous actions towards his kids might have been, became a cold-blooded killing machine. While protesting love for Fenton, he tortured his elder son without remorse or the slightest hint of mercy. Adam as an adult is cold and calculating, the very picture of smug self-righteousness and hatred woven into a finely honed killing machine. Adam, the child, as acted so superbly by Jeremy Sumpter, had all the human feelings of a radish as he bought Daddy Meiks' story without hesitation. Little Adam was ready to kill right from the start, even willing to slaughter his fellow students, with a made up list. Daddy Meiks showed his sanity by stopping little Adam in his tracks... or did he? Adam had the psychological makeup, right from the start, of a fanatic. Was Daddy's mild rebuke going to stop him? I have my doubts...
The old sheriff was shown to be a very disagreeable man, at least from Fenton's point of view. Let's see.... Powers Booth's character, Agent Doyle. He was just as surly as the old sheriff. Maybe he really was a demon, maybe he was just sick of the killings he had to investigate. Whatever the reason, Doyle was not a pleasant man. We only get to see his mother in the photo on Doyle's desk and in the vision of her getting killed by her own son, the very Agent Doyle in charge of investigating the God's Hand murders. The other agent, whose name escapes me, is a butt-kissing toady, showing not an ounce of brains whenever he is on screen. The 'demons' Daddy Meiks captures... whether or not they are truly demons, they are hardly shown in their best light. Who does that leave, in Frailty, who might show humane feelings? Sheriff Adam Meiks' pretty wife, in his office? To tell you the truth, she creeped me out. As pretty as she was, she made me glad I was not in the same state as she was. Happy never to have met her...
So.... we are left with Fenton to see humanity of thought and action.... and he is the demon. Nice little message for those who see this movie. I saw that particular twist coming, but wished it wouldn't. It was the easy way out and Frailty, up until that point, was too well done to deserve being trashed by that garbage pail of a twist. Or was it?
We are shown that Doyle was a demon, who mercilessly slaughtered his beloved mother. He even asks Adam how he knew. Case closed, right?
Wrong. The 'vision' Adam has shows a young Doyle knifing his mother to death.
The photo on Doyle's desk, which the camera pans so lovingly, shows a much older Agent Doyle posing in the photograph. Huh? Was that a production mistake? Could be... but it was shown for so long. It would have been easy to show a young Doyle in that photo, but they did not do so. Was that a clue as to the truth? As another reviewer points out, Adam could be delusional. I have this question: How could an older Doyle be posing with his mom if he was much younger when he killed her? If Fenton was a true demon, why did he not kill his Dad before his Dad killed him? Daddy was trusting enough to sleep with Fenton in the house, Otis was available, or a sharp knife. Fenton was shown to be physically resilient and, despite the power which protected Dad, Fenton was able to kill the man quite handily... Demons were declared to be completely merciless, but Fenton did not kill Adam in his sleep, nor with the axe, as he could have done. He need not have left the axe in Dad's chest, please remember.
Dad killed the old sheriff. Why? Because the angel had said someone would have to die if someone snitched about Dad's holy mission... But who would seek that vengeance? God claims the right of vengeance. Daddy Meiks took it upon himself to wreak vengeance for Fenton revealing the plan. I doubt if God would take kindly to that. It looked far away, but the entrance to the cellar was very close by when Fenton and the old sheriff had their little conversation... which revealed the old man was exasperated beyond endurance with Fenton's 'lies'. Daddy Meiks had to have heard them. He knew God covered his tracks under worse circumstances than this (Kidnapping an old man in broad daylight in a crowded parking lot comes to mind for starters.), but he slaughtered the sheriff anyway. Supposedly, the old man was a friend of his. Is this the actions of a man doing God's work? Like many so-called Christians, Daddy is quite willing to blame Fenton for murdering the sheriff. The DEVIL made me do it!" In other words, Daddy Meiks would not take the blame for his own sins.
There's a little more to think about. Daddy Meiks was told Fenton was a demon... and Dad touches Fenton's bare skin with his bare hands for what seems like a long time. Daddy proclaims his love for his son; saying he loves Fenton and values him more than his own life. He then proceeds to torture Fenton to within an inch of the child's life, in order to prove to the angel Fenton is NOT a demon. Finally, Fenton admits to being wrong and Dad receives him back into the family with full honors... if Fenton will kill the next demon Daddy captures. Since Hanley himself claims demons are remorseless killers, and very cunning, why would Fenton put himself through this? Seems to me he would have agreed from the get-go and slaughtered Daddy, as he did, when Dad's guard was down. Why put himself through such an ordeal?
Maybe Fenton really was the truly moral one? Adam gave Fenton water during the torture... on Daddy's orders. I strongly feel that Adam would have given Fenton nothing if his father said not to. Adam saves Fenton from Daddy's axe, after the old sheriff is murdered. Was this not noble? Think about it... Why kill the fall-guy?
Paxton's commentary, at the end of Frailty, was very interesting... We are shown Adam's wife, and she is pregnant. Paxton says, "See? There's another demon..." and waits what seems to me to be a rather long time to correct himself, saying demon hunter instead. Huh? And that long panning shot.... as the camera pulls away. Why, if Adam and his wife are working for God, does the DEMONIC opening music start in? It does not start after the credits begin rolling, but well before it. And Paxton insisted that the opening themes be used. It is NOT godly music, by any stretch of the imagination.
Talk about subversive... Is Adam really a demon? Is he following Satan's orders, thinking that the devil is GOD? Paxton says he sees the movie as Dad's tragedy... he was killed because of Fenton's cunning. With this in mind, the movie plays really differently on a second viewing. However, what if I am right? That Daddy Meiks was sincere cannot be doubted: he really did think he was working for God, and he truly loved Fenton, as misguided as his actions were. And Fenton really was the kindly, humane older brother... this would make it a double tragedy... Dad's and Fenton's. What about Adam? His is the heart and mind and soul of the born psychopath. Watch him as an adult... watch him as a child.
Yes, Daddy Meiks, there really was a demon in your family. Guess who! And wouldn't the right-wing Christian community have LOVED such a message? My rating? If Fenton was the demon- 5 out of 10... If Adam was... 9 out of 10. Take your pick!
I either see Frailty as a genius movie, or a badly botched effort. I know what Hanley, the screenwriter, wanted. If the movie had been made according to his wishes, I would agree with the commentaries on the DVD and agree with the general premise as seen on the surface of the movie. However, as it stands, I do not see it that way at all. And there are subtle and not so subtle clues that Frailty was meant to be something altogether even more subversive than what is seen.
Other reviewers have spotted the anomalies, while others have gotten upset at the thought that Adam and Dad Meiks really were getting orders from God. I admit it... as a Christian, the thought does upset me, but not nearly enough to attack the producers and actors in writing or otherwise. And, I must admit, that Dad and Adam were receiving orders from a god... but which one? The God of the Bible? Or the God of the Earth? Either one could perform miracles... such as hiding Daddy Meiks' kidnappings, fuzzing up the video monitor, lousing up anyone's memory- and leading Daddy and Adam Meiks to think they are seeing demonic acts in the minds of innocent people. The first three quarters of the movie works perfectly, with nothing out of place, except Dad's supposed visions. We at first see Dad Meiks as a madman, a ruthless killer, and maniacal child abuser. When I first watched, I had the gut feeling that this was no tale of human insanity, but this was the Real McCoy- a supernatural thriller with vastly disturbing psychological undertones... and I was right. The clues given in the FBI building let any viewer know that some other power besides human capabilities is at work here. The fuzzing up of Adam's face in the video monitor might have been coincidence, but it's reinforced by the fact that a trained observer also could not remember Adam's face.... plus, there are Adam's visions, revealed in a chilling line up of scenes from the times Daddy Meiks laid his bare hands on the captured 'demons'.
Taken at face value, we are clearly shown that Adam has taken over Dad Meiks' holy mission, and is pursuing it with a flair Daddy Meiks never displayed. We see, on the surface, that Fenton Meiks was a demon, planted by dark powers to bring an end to Dad's righteous mission. And yes, Hanley did want Fenton to be the demon right from the beginning, well before Frailty was made. Colombine reared its tragic head above the horizon of public awareness while Frailty was in production, thus forcing some changes in the way the plot was presented. Adam was shown to be following God's orders, and he was a righteous human being, doing everything any good American should do: fighting evil with all of his cunning and might- and winning! The panning shot, as the camera pulled away from Adam and his lovely wife pounded that fact home, thus arousing the ire of many a Christian across this great land of ours....
But Bill Paxton's commentary opens up a whole new boiling kettle of worms, as does Brian Tyler's great score for the movie. I do think Bill Paxton has put together a different movie than the one that appears on the surface... and he gives clues in his commentary, and there's a great big clue in the story itself. I will get to it soon...
First, how many people did a double-take when Fenton asked Adam to bury him in the rose garden when Adam destroyed him? How many viewers felt as though the plot of a different movie had been pasted on? Matt O'Leary seemed to me to be as disbelieving in that twist as I was... way out of character for the character he had portrayed so excellently all through the movie. Did the kid forget how to act in just that one scene? Did Paxton forget how to direct? Was Fenton really the demon? Please remember that Fenton was the only character in the entire movie to display feelings of kindness and the actions of a thinking, rational, caring human being. Let's go over them, to the best of my memory....
Daddy Meiks, whatever his previous actions towards his kids might have been, became a cold-blooded killing machine. While protesting love for Fenton, he tortured his elder son without remorse or the slightest hint of mercy. Adam as an adult is cold and calculating, the very picture of smug self-righteousness and hatred woven into a finely honed killing machine. Adam, the child, as acted so superbly by Jeremy Sumpter, had all the human feelings of a radish as he bought Daddy Meiks' story without hesitation. Little Adam was ready to kill right from the start, even willing to slaughter his fellow students, with a made up list. Daddy Meiks showed his sanity by stopping little Adam in his tracks... or did he? Adam had the psychological makeup, right from the start, of a fanatic. Was Daddy's mild rebuke going to stop him? I have my doubts...
The old sheriff was shown to be a very disagreeable man, at least from Fenton's point of view. Let's see.... Powers Booth's character, Agent Doyle. He was just as surly as the old sheriff. Maybe he really was a demon, maybe he was just sick of the killings he had to investigate. Whatever the reason, Doyle was not a pleasant man. We only get to see his mother in the photo on Doyle's desk and in the vision of her getting killed by her own son, the very Agent Doyle in charge of investigating the God's Hand murders. The other agent, whose name escapes me, is a butt-kissing toady, showing not an ounce of brains whenever he is on screen. The 'demons' Daddy Meiks captures... whether or not they are truly demons, they are hardly shown in their best light. Who does that leave, in Frailty, who might show humane feelings? Sheriff Adam Meiks' pretty wife, in his office? To tell you the truth, she creeped me out. As pretty as she was, she made me glad I was not in the same state as she was. Happy never to have met her...
So.... we are left with Fenton to see humanity of thought and action.... and he is the demon. Nice little message for those who see this movie. I saw that particular twist coming, but wished it wouldn't. It was the easy way out and Frailty, up until that point, was too well done to deserve being trashed by that garbage pail of a twist. Or was it?
We are shown that Doyle was a demon, who mercilessly slaughtered his beloved mother. He even asks Adam how he knew. Case closed, right?
Wrong. The 'vision' Adam has shows a young Doyle knifing his mother to death.
The photo on Doyle's desk, which the camera pans so lovingly, shows a much older Agent Doyle posing in the photograph. Huh? Was that a production mistake? Could be... but it was shown for so long. It would have been easy to show a young Doyle in that photo, but they did not do so. Was that a clue as to the truth? As another reviewer points out, Adam could be delusional. I have this question: How could an older Doyle be posing with his mom if he was much younger when he killed her? If Fenton was a true demon, why did he not kill his Dad before his Dad killed him? Daddy was trusting enough to sleep with Fenton in the house, Otis was available, or a sharp knife. Fenton was shown to be physically resilient and, despite the power which protected Dad, Fenton was able to kill the man quite handily... Demons were declared to be completely merciless, but Fenton did not kill Adam in his sleep, nor with the axe, as he could have done. He need not have left the axe in Dad's chest, please remember.
Dad killed the old sheriff. Why? Because the angel had said someone would have to die if someone snitched about Dad's holy mission... But who would seek that vengeance? God claims the right of vengeance. Daddy Meiks took it upon himself to wreak vengeance for Fenton revealing the plan. I doubt if God would take kindly to that. It looked far away, but the entrance to the cellar was very close by when Fenton and the old sheriff had their little conversation... which revealed the old man was exasperated beyond endurance with Fenton's 'lies'. Daddy Meiks had to have heard them. He knew God covered his tracks under worse circumstances than this (Kidnapping an old man in broad daylight in a crowded parking lot comes to mind for starters.), but he slaughtered the sheriff anyway. Supposedly, the old man was a friend of his. Is this the actions of a man doing God's work? Like many so-called Christians, Daddy is quite willing to blame Fenton for murdering the sheriff. The DEVIL made me do it!" In other words, Daddy Meiks would not take the blame for his own sins.
There's a little more to think about. Daddy Meiks was told Fenton was a demon... and Dad touches Fenton's bare skin with his bare hands for what seems like a long time. Daddy proclaims his love for his son; saying he loves Fenton and values him more than his own life. He then proceeds to torture Fenton to within an inch of the child's life, in order to prove to the angel Fenton is NOT a demon. Finally, Fenton admits to being wrong and Dad receives him back into the family with full honors... if Fenton will kill the next demon Daddy captures. Since Hanley himself claims demons are remorseless killers, and very cunning, why would Fenton put himself through this? Seems to me he would have agreed from the get-go and slaughtered Daddy, as he did, when Dad's guard was down. Why put himself through such an ordeal?
Maybe Fenton really was the truly moral one? Adam gave Fenton water during the torture... on Daddy's orders. I strongly feel that Adam would have given Fenton nothing if his father said not to. Adam saves Fenton from Daddy's axe, after the old sheriff is murdered. Was this not noble? Think about it... Why kill the fall-guy?
Paxton's commentary, at the end of Frailty, was very interesting... We are shown Adam's wife, and she is pregnant. Paxton says, "See? There's another demon..." and waits what seems to me to be a rather long time to correct himself, saying demon hunter instead. Huh? And that long panning shot.... as the camera pulls away. Why, if Adam and his wife are working for God, does the DEMONIC opening music start in? It does not start after the credits begin rolling, but well before it. And Paxton insisted that the opening themes be used. It is NOT godly music, by any stretch of the imagination.
Talk about subversive... Is Adam really a demon? Is he following Satan's orders, thinking that the devil is GOD? Paxton says he sees the movie as Dad's tragedy... he was killed because of Fenton's cunning. With this in mind, the movie plays really differently on a second viewing. However, what if I am right? That Daddy Meiks was sincere cannot be doubted: he really did think he was working for God, and he truly loved Fenton, as misguided as his actions were. And Fenton really was the kindly, humane older brother... this would make it a double tragedy... Dad's and Fenton's. What about Adam? His is the heart and mind and soul of the born psychopath. Watch him as an adult... watch him as a child.
Yes, Daddy Meiks, there really was a demon in your family. Guess who! And wouldn't the right-wing Christian community have LOVED such a message? My rating? If Fenton was the demon- 5 out of 10... If Adam was... 9 out of 10. Take your pick!