Title: Frailty
Director: Bill Paxton
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, Matt O'Leary, Luke Askew

Summary:

What do you do if your dad is a serial killer, and you are the only one who knows.

Thoughts:

This film has an incredible premise, with more than enough potential for suspense and horror. Unfortunately, Frailty doesn't succeed as a thriller.

While all of the performances are compelling (with the exception of Mathew McConaughey, who's pulse never seems to vary), this film on the whole is lacking in impact. Bill pullman is impressive, he is scary while at the same time being an idealized and completely menaceless father figure. This role certainly had the potential to make Pullman's character one of the most memorable cinema serial killers.

The fundamental problems with this film are structural. The flashback style re-telling of childhood experiences take the threat of death out of the story. Since most of the action takes place in the past, there is not enough time to create a sense of tension about the present day murders.

The twist ending is more confusing than satisfying, elements are added to cast doubt on wether or not the murderous father's mania was real or not, but they come off as tacked-on and aren't nearly ambiguous enough.