Frailty (2001) Movie Review
Frailty is a movie I first saw back in 2002 or 2003. It stars Matthew McConaughey and Bill Paxton. This is actually a Bill Paxton project. He produced and directed it. It cost $11M to make and only generated $17M in theaters. It wasn’t widely available and wasn’t promoted very hard while it was at the box office.
The story pulls you in as the main character confesses to an FBI agent that his brother is a famed and wanted serial killer. The rest of the movie unfolds with flashback scenes as McConaughey narrates. It makes for great story telling.
I’m not terribly worried about spoilers here because the movie is 25 years old. If you haven’t seen it then it’s best to stop reading now.
When the demons are finally revealed I think they should have spent a little bit of money to actually show the people transform into demons in front of their very eyes. The way they made it, it simply shows people committing crimes and murders.
Jeremy Sumpter did a great job acting in this movie and stood out for me. He played the younger son of the Bill Paxton character.
The film unwinds perfectly and keeps you intrigued. It was entertaining from start to finish. I give it 87 out of 100 potatoes. It is a “fresh potato”.
Powers Boothe is in this movie and hands in a solid performance. Seeing him in this inspired me to watch this next movie.
By Dawn’s Early Light (1987)
I remember seeing this film as a kid. One of the few months where we actually had cable (and HBO), my brothers and I were able to soak up all it had to offer. We even recorded movies from HBO on the VCR because we knew we wouldn’t have the channel later and we could rewatch everything then.
This movie was made during a period where the Cold War was still very hot. We were still going through drills at school of how to shield yourself from a nuclear blast by hiding under your desk, like that would help! LOL
This movie was produced by HBO itself. This was not a very common thing back then. To have a TV service actually produce a movie with a real movie budget ($9m in 1987 & $22.5M in today’s money) was very rare. Unfortunately, they shot the movie on tape and didn’t spend the bucks it took to shoot it on film. So basically, every copy of this movie in existence is pretty low quality.
The movie is a solid thriller. A nuclear war breaks out, and the Prez is injured in the blast. He struggles to take back control of the government to help put an end to the escalating nuclear war before the Secretary of the Interior (who is now in charge) gets everyone killed.
Powers Booth and a very young Rebecca De Mornay are co-pilots and lovers. Their personal relationship destroys their mission capabilities, and this movie should have served as a warning about putting broads in nuclear birds. But here we are. Their situation and eventual treason provide a parallel storyline which keeps the movie interesting. However, I wanted to reach through the screen and strangle them.
James Earl Jones plays a General who is tasked with managing the war from his plane. He is excellent in this role, and I have zero doubt this is why he was cast in The Hunt for Red October. He is perfect as a general officer. However, this wasn’t his first rodeo. Twenty-three years earlier he was featured in another Cold War nuclear bombing movie called Doctor Strangelove, one of the highest rated movies on Baldy Potatoes (95).
Anyway, the military scenes between the Generals and various politicians are really freaking great. And even though I hated the situation on the B-52 which Powers Booth and Rebecca De Mornay, they did an excellent job of acting, and the scene showed how the pressures of nuclear war can drive people mad.
I give By Dawn’s Early Light 87 Potatoes. It is a well-made, well-acted movie that is thrilling from start to finish. I believe that every high-level politician should be made to watch this movie, as well as War Games (1984) & Fail Safe (1964).