Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey
A man (McConaughey) walks into the FBI office in Dallas and tells an agent that his younger brother is a wanted serial killer. He says it all goes back—cue the flashbacks—to when their widowed father went around hacking up folks with an ax in 1979. Pop (Paxton) claimed he was doing God's work and that his victims were really demons.
So begins Frailty, a small, creepy film with a nasty twist. The story is told from the viewpoint of the older son (played by Matt O'Leary, but with McConaughey providing narration), a frightened 12-year-old who suspects Dad is crazy. As the zealot father, Paxton, all calm conviction, is chillingly effective. Doing double duty as director, he wisely downplays gore in favor of psychological suspense. (R)
Bottom Line: Slight but scary
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