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Frailty

Play trailer Poster for Frailty R 2002 1h 40m Mystery & Thriller Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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76% Tomatometer 154 Reviews 79% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Set in present-day Texas, "Frailty" centers on the FBI's search for a serial killer who calls himself "God's Hands." McConaughey plays Fenton Meiks, a young man who approaches the lead investigator, one night, claiming he knows the identity of the killer. The FBI agent is curious, but unimpressed until Fenton reveals that the killer is his younger brother Adam. This is a film about faith, family and the end of innocence.
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Frailty

Frailty

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Critics Consensus

Creepy and disturbing, Frailty is well-crafted, low-key horror.

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Critics Reviews

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Christy Lemire Associated Press 07/30/2013
Paxton steals the show. And O'Leary more than holds his own again here. Too bad it's in a movie that fails to live up to its potential. Go to Full Review
Nell Minow Common Sense Media 12/24/2010
2/5
Violent and ultimately uneven and unsatisfying. Go to Full Review
Robert Koehler Variety 11/21/2008
A resoundingly old-fashioned and well crafted study of evil infecting an American family, "Frailty" moves from strength to strength on its deceptive narrative course. Go to Full Review
Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand Jul 28
... marvelously off-balance and under-the-skin creepy from the first few minutes. Go to Full Review
Joshua Ryan FandomWire 07/19/2025
8/10
It's incredibly effective in its execution and remains one of the most unnerving horror films of the 2000s. Go to Full Review
Cody Leach Cody Leach (YouTube) 03/26/2024
5/5
Frailty is a perfect exploration of childhood fear as it collides with religion. Bill Paxton's deliberately reserved direction makes the horror more effective in it's reliance on reactions and suggestion. Every twist delivers and sticks the landing! Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Nick O @Nicki1985 18h When religious nuts claim to kill because “God told me to”, ya think they actually talked to god or are they just crazy? I guess we can never know. What we do know, is that Bill Paxton always kills it! See more Oaklee D @ODie63 1d Directed by and starring the late great Bill Paxton and with Matthew Mconaughey in a supporting role, Frailty is a treat and a really well made, coming of age horror. See more Donny W @DonnyBlanco Aug 16 Must see thriller and mystery. Before Dexter, there was Bill Paxton and his magical weapons. Great directing by Paxton. One of my favourite under the radar movies, It holds my attention like Seven. See more J H @UpstateNYThriller Aug 15 9.4/10 Early 2000s movie, Thriller, Mystery Matthew McConaughey plays a guy who goes and confesses that he had a childhood killing with his father and his brother. He can see when people have sinned. Really good twist at the end. Kind of like a religious type Dexter. Top-tier movie, similar to clovehitch. See more Scott H @RT90960842 Aug 7 If you're in the mood for an original, nicely paced, well-directed horror film, by all means watch 2001's "Frailty" starring Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey and Powers Boothe. This was the only film that Paxton directed and he did a fine job. See more Mike B @MikelMotarcycl Aug 6 The directing is exceptional, marked by remarkable restraint and confidence. Every scene builds on the last with quiet precision, allowing dread to accumulate instead of announcing itself with cheap scares. The film trusts its audience, and that trust pays off with an experience that's both unsettling and unforgettable. The writing is equally outstanding. The screenplay layers faith, fear, family, and morality into a story that never loses sight of its characters. Every conversation carries weight, every revelation feels earned, and the narrative steadily tightens until the final moments land with astonishing force. Rather than relying on twists for their own sake, the story carefully plants every seed so that the ending feels both surprising and inevitable. What makes Frailty endure is its willingness to ask uncomfortable questions without handing out easy answers. See more Read all reviews
Frailty

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Frailty

Frailty: Official Clip - God Knew Frailty: Official Clip - God Knew 2:50 Now Playing Frailty: Official Clip - You Can't Escape God's Wrath Frailty: Official Clip - You Can't Escape God's Wrath 2:50 Now Playing Frailty: Official Clip - Killing a Brother Frailty: Official Clip - Killing a Brother 2:05 Now Playing Frailty: Official Clip - Fenton's First Victim Frailty: Official Clip - Fenton's First Victim 2:59 Now Playing Frailty: Official Clip - Sometimes Truth Defies Reason Frailty: Official Clip - Sometimes Truth Defies Reason 1:47 Now Playing Frailty: Official Clip - The First Demon Frailty: Official Clip - The First Demon 2:59 Now Playing Frailty: Official Clip - A Vision From God Frailty: Official Clip - A Vision From God 3:31 Now Playing Frailty: Official Clip - The List Frailty: Official Clip - The List 2:50 Now Playing Frailty: Official Clip - You Gotta Believe Me! Frailty: Official Clip - You Gotta Believe Me! 2:42 Now Playing Frailty: Official Clip - The Promise Frailty: Official Clip - The Promise 2:21 Now Playing View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis Set in present-day Texas, "Frailty" centers on the FBI's search for a serial killer who calls himself "God's Hands." McConaughey plays Fenton Meiks, a young man who approaches the lead investigator, one night, claiming he knows the identity of the killer. The FBI agent is curious, but unimpressed until Fenton reveals that the killer is his younger brother Adam. This is a film about faith, family and the end of innocence.
Director
Bill Paxton
Producer
David Blocker, David Kirschner, Corey Sienega
Screenwriter
Brent Hanley
Distributor
Lionsgate Films
Production Co
American Entertainment, David Kirschner Productions
Rating
R (Violence|Some Language)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 12, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 14, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$13.1M
Runtime
1h 40m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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