The kids are at least better than the dreadful one in "Road to Perdition," and there's a refreshing lack of rubbing one's face in blood and guts during the murder sequences. Still, the film seems awfully simplistic in its treatment of religious fanaticism and I swear almost borders on the unintentionally hilarious in the very questionable performance by Paxton. McConaughey makes up for his scenery chewing in "Reign of Fire" here in a subdued turn as he and Boothe try to underplay one another. Unfortunately, the script fails to truly engage the ideas it brings up, choosing instead to go for a gimmicky "surprise" ending. Check out "The Rapture" for a much more realized take on the lure and destructiveness of fanatical devotion.… Expand

This movie IS the BEST MOVIE OF 2002 so far! It was absolutely awesome. The plot couldn't have gotten much better, though I would've like to seen why Brad White was a demon... the music went well with it, the directing was awesome, bill paxton actually did good acting, the font was very good, and the choreography was great. I greatly enjoyed this film and i recommend it to everyone. JG

Great story...very cool if you actually understand the biblical references. It's a cool ending as well. You should see it just for Bill Paxton's acting job, which is pretty incredible...

What a weird way to knock off demons that look like humans. Some are demon killers that use natural and simple methods of balancing an eye for an eye. Superb movie.

This movie is great ...I watched it again after not seeing it for several years and all I can say is that I'm glad I bought it when it first came out..people who don't like it just don't understand it..I'm not overly religious either but it still gives me the creeps when i think about this movie and its underlying message...definitely worth looking for.

Like "Panic Room," was suspenseful, but left me wanting more suspense. Also, the big twists are not that hard to recognize, so there wasn't that big "Ohhhh" moment. However, is dark and Bill Paxton does a pretty good job.

This is, so far, the best film of 2002. Great perfomances all around. A great twist, but I saw it coming 3/4 of the way into the film, doesn't make it a bad twist. Paxton is actually pretty good and McConaughey is also surprising. But the best performance was by the Matt O' Leary, Young Fenton. He is the best child actor out there now. The movie was just amazing and never boring.

There are sections in "Frailty" that will engross you like no other movie since "Dancer in the Dark". Within the context of American film since the nineties, at least 25% of Bill Paxton's first effort, is masterful. I thought Tim Robbins had a lock on best actor-turned-director, but "Frailty" is better than "Bob Roberts". The movie recreates 1979 mostly through the lighting, I think. "Frailty" looks like it was shot in 1979. This movie is so brilliant in spots, you may feel a little let down by Paxton's decision to show too much. More mystery would've been better. But that's nitpicking. There is real passion here. Michael F. is right. This is the best film of 2002, so far, but Evan Rachel Wood is the best child actor. Goddamn you, America for killing "Once and Again"!!! … Expand

One of the creepiest films in memory. Works as a psychological drama as well as a smart horror film. Paxton is near perfect as Dad.

Oh...my...god. I cannot BELIEVE that someone actually said this is the "best movie of 2002 so far." In my opinion, this is one of the stupidest movies I have ever seen. Not only was it extremely predictable, but the acting on the part of Bill Paxton was pathetic. It was more comedic than scary, as my friends and I were laughing the whole way through it.

Great acting; grim story.

It is too bad more people didn't see this film. A truly suspenseful film with a great ending. Bill Paxton is always great.

This Is the direction horror should go. Forget all that monster and slasher stuff, THIS IS IT!! Truly, deeply, scary! Just downright spooky!

This movie is unrelentingly dark, both in its themes and in its conception of plot and pacing. The acting, with the exception of the actor who played young Fenton, was also dismal. Be warned: This movie is deeply disturbing and does not reward anyone who manages to sit through the whole film without vomiting.

This is a wonderful movie and one of the best. Bill Paxton has come a long way. Way to go Bill.

I loved it! it was funny kuz even thot the ending was kind of cheesy, i didn't see it coming because i was so wrapped up in the rest of the story. its a near masterpeice of horror filmmaking.

This film was weak. Anyone who didn't see every twist coming from the beginning of the movie (or at least from when "Fenton" steps into the car with the FBI guy) is either blind or none too smart. Congratulations; you're the target audience for this movie. Shame there are so many of you.

This film was okay--well acted, but I saw every big twist coming way before it happened. While it was an interesting character study, there was just something missing--that intangible quality that separates okay films from great ones.

I give it a 9, don't know why not a ten but this actually is one of the best movies 2002. it has a clever script without a standard plot, a true highlight cause all you see today are some lame sequels or commercial love stories. all the actors, specially the children, did a great job. and mcconaughey played well, "reign of fire" was the last film i saw of him and damn reign of fire was crap :) so enjoy this one, cause this is something fresh!… Expand

Absolutely TERRIBLE!!! Cheesy special effects, terrible acting, and once I saw the ending it made me resent the directing even more. The premise of the story is actually kind of cool, but the movie sucked a big one, so who is to blame... the director. I am sorry but people don't just wake up one night whacked out of their skull - not without eating a sheet of acid as a bedtime snack. As Andrew said, this movie is hilarious. Kid:"You're killing those people!" Dad:"No, I'm destroying demons!" Ummm, yeah OK. And magical weapons? Come on. And why did the axe say Otis? Never explained. And the "surprise ending"? Yeah, I figured that one out about 15 minutes. Worst movie I have seen in a very long time.… Expand

The film's 100 minutes long, through the first 98 I could hardly stop laughing, but the finale's twist is so stunning you'll have to remind yourself to breath.

Does this film expect to take itself seriously? I dont really buy the whole 'nice dad has a vision and becomes psycho religious killer' premise. Whatever happened to 'thou shalt not kill'? The twist at the end is too predictable. One of those films where you find yourself standing up and shouting 'RUN you idiot!'

This movie was the biggest load of sh.t that I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot of movies. It was the same plot over and over, and the entire concept of the movie was unrealistic and extrrrreeeeeeemely stupid!!To sum it up: Biggest waste of an hour and 40 minutes ever!

Even though I have rated a good 15 movies in the last 10 minutes the truth is I really don't like a Numbered rating system. that 10 is for being able to scare the living crap out of me without being overly graphic. The movie itself something like a 9.2 but the story although not the most clean and polished one of the best movies I have ever seen for messing with your head. up there with Identity and Memento.… Expand

An absolutely brilliant movie.The more I watch it,the more it chills me.Most horror movies are scary because you suspend your disbelief and after it's over you go back to your normal life and forget about it.Some reviewers have said it is unbelievable.I say not only is it believable, but it is happening all over the world.Take out demons and insert'Great Satan' or 'Jihad' or any other fanatical sect's code words and you will understand this movie for what I believe it is;a chilling look into the impenetrable dogma of religious fanatics. Scary indeed!… Expand

I was encouraged to watch this movie, and afterwards, i thought less of the people that recommended it. The way the movie shows the dad (who's obviously mental) abusing his own kid, and killing people.. It is just tiring. The amazing twists and turns never materialized. It was pretty predictable. And at the end, it shows the security cameras being fuzzed out as if "g o d" (the catch-all for a cosmic genie) protected the killer.. So Bill Paxton, i have a question.. What message or idea were you trying to convey with this movie? As your first great memorializing motion picture, what were you trying to accomplish? The message i took from the movie is that Its ok to abuse and kill others if your imaginary friend tells you to do so.. Or maybe you weren't out to make a statement at all. Maybe you simply wanted to scare people. Either way, coming from a director that comes off like he's out to save the world, and "GOD" is giving him revelation, i dont see how this $11,000,000 project bettered the world in any way.… Expand

The best movie of 2002 so far.

This movie is fairly interesting, however, the ending is very disturbing because I am an agnostic. I do not deny the existence of god but I also have seen no proof, ergo the ending would be disturbing to a logical person.

http://mushreviews.blogspot.com/2011/04/frailty.html I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into when I was suggested this movie and decided to watch it. When I was suggested it I looked it up and discovered it was a thriller about a serial killer, I'm game! One of my favorite genres so I of course gave it a shot. From the start I was a little skeptical. The first few scenes the acting was pretty spotty actually and it made me heavily doubt this movie. However, then the meat of the movie started to roll in and I could see the shining spots. This movie excelled, and I mean excelled, when it came to plot twists and overall story line. The basic storyline for those who don't know this movie already follows a man who comes into the FBI and says he knows the identity of a serial killer. He then goes on to explain the story of how when he was young, his father saw a vision from God who told him to destroy "demons" and then went on to capture these demons and kill them in front of them and have them partake. Sounds simple enough but the way it was shown on camera and story wise was phenomenal. They did it so well I felt at times like I completely understood where the dad was coming from and didn't feel the typical hatred for him. So that was a major change in a movie personality for me. Here is this guy who they are showing to be completely rational at first, who goes "crazy" but then make you doubt that he's crazy at all and is actually justified! Then the movie goes even further and introduces you two huge twists at the end which I won't spoil but I will say that you really need to see this movie. I feel it changed my perception on the whole aspect of serial killing. Not that I find it justifiable now but the fact that the movie portrayed them having in their mind, completely rational reasons and didn't even think they were killing people. Huge mind benders in this movie, don't let the poor acting scare you off.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Starts out as a good psychological and moral chiller which ends up with a drawn out disappointing ending with one plot twist too many. Paxtons descent into apparent insanity is too quick, and an attractive idea that can be taken from the film which is the greatest evil comes from men who believe that they are doing good is swiftly destroyed with the reveal that it was God all along taking with it themes that could have been explored of sibling rivalry and family loyalty. Had the writer kept his feet on the ground this could have been so much better. Instead the script starts to implode leaving you wondering why you bothered in the first place.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A bait-and-switch contrivance of the worst kind. (Is there a good kind?) The creepy religious weirdness that characterized the bulk of the movie was an accurate - and disturbing - cautionary tale about how faith and belief untethered to objective reality morphs seamlessly into bat-**** crazy. Unfortunately, there are plenty of people like those depicted in the film (some of them are currently running for president), so the apparent message of the film would have seemed to be: watch out for nut-jobs masquerading as good God-fearing people. I say apparent because this prevailing theme gives way in the end to its opposite. Namely, no matter how crazy you thought these people were, you were wrong: they were actually doing God's handiwork. Really. So I guess regardless of how irrational people might seem, who knows, they may just be taking orders from God. This is not a plot twist; it's a plot reversal. Or a sick joke. If you're truly religious, I don't see how you could make it through most of this movie. If you're not, you'll be thoroughly disgusted with the ending. If you're neither, maybe this is the movie for you.… Expand

A film that is like many other crime dramas but with a dark scary twist to it. Every scene in this film is important. The film flows very smoothly and the shocking finish fits perfectly with the past events that have already occured in the film. Unlike many other films this ending was necessary for the story and it's themes. The question i'm still pondering at the end of the film is if Adam Meekes is a hero or if Fenton was right. The film does lean towards one side but there is still room for Fenton's perspective.… Expand