Rating- * * * * * (5/5)
If you look at movies made by first time directors, they tend to be very run-of-the-mill, easy money movies that try to appeal to the average moviegoer as much as possible. This is because the director is trying to make a name for himself and trying to assure that his career as a director will continue. However, when a director has already established himself in another career, like acting, he can take more risks because he has a job to fall back on. This element of risk-taking is shown by first time director Bill Paxton, who takes on a very disturbing and controversial subject matter without backing down or compromising. And boy does it work! The film stars Matthew McConaughey as Fenton Meiks, a man who relives the horrors of his youth as he explains to an FBI agent (Powers Boothe) that his father was the infamous “God’s Hand” killer. The father, played by the director, Paxton, wakes his two sons, aged about 11 and 7, to tell them that God spoke to him and told him that he was charged with destroying demons in the world. These demons look like normal people (of course!) and can only be destroyed with three holy weapons that God promised to send soon. The younger son, Adam, is very excited about being a “family of superheroes” but the older son, Fenton, is old enough to be skeptical of his father’s revelation. Fenton begins to believe his father might be crazy when he brings home the “holy weapons”: a lead pipe, some gardening gloves and an axe with “OTIS” inscribed on the handle. Fenton’s worry becomes pure terror when his father brings home a young woman, tied up and with head wound from the lead pipe. Dad tells his boys that she is a demon and when he lays his hands on her, her sins will be revealed. After laying his hands on her and drawing back in shock, Dad puts OTIS to work right in front of his sons. This process occurs several times with Adam taking more and more delight in the actions, while Fenton becomes more and more terrified. I can’t tell you any more because the story takes a shocking turn and delivers one of the best surprise endings since The Usual Suspects. For those of you who have already been turned off by the violence I described, fear not; all of the violence occurs off screen and is only implied with Hitchcockian devices like shadow and sound. This movie is not about violence. And it’s not about a crazy, evil man who goes on a killing rampage. Paxton is a good father; he loves his kids and is a devout Christian. He truly believes that he is not killing any people, only demons. The conflict that arises and brings about this surprise ending is the frailty mentioned in the title. Dad follows through on his entire mission, except one part. He is too weak to carry out his full mission and his weakness leads to the biggest shock in recent film history. This is film that speaks on many different themes, including faith, sanity, and imposing your beliefs on others. Besides the meaning, it is one of the scariest, most intriguing suspense films in recent time and any fan of The Sixth Sense or The Others can’t afford to pass this one up.