Paxton's Career Grows Stronger With 'Frailty'

While he's been established in films for quite some time, it's really been exciting to witness and talk with actor Bill Paxton about the diverse turns his career has taken over the past few years.

When I spoke with him in 1998 about "A Simple Plan," there was no question in my mind that Paxton -- who had already had an impressive list of action and comedic films to his credit -- could also chew on a meaty dramatic role with the best of them.

And while he was impressive in that movie's role of the working class Joe who finds himself mixed up in a simple get-rich plan that goes horrifyingly bad, it was merely a warm-up to the greatest dramatic challenge of his life -- starring and and directing "Frailty," an intensely atmospheric gothic thriller new on video and DVD (Lions Gate) this week.

The film begins in the present, as Fenton Meeks (Matthew McConaughey) comes forward to tell a FBI agent (Powers Boothe) how his father (Paxton) received divine orders to commit the "God's Hand Murders" -- a long-unresolved crime spree where supposed "demons" that inhabited human bodies were put to death with an ax.

In a series of flashbacks, we find out that the situation is even more complicated as Fenton (Matthew O'Leary) and his younger brother Adam (Jeremy Sumpter) are caught on opposing sides of the nightmare: Fenton believes what his father is doing is horribly wrong and tries to stop him, while Adam treats him like a hero.

"Like 'A Simple Plan,' this film is really film-noir-like," Paxton told me in a recent @ The Movies interview. "Maybe it's a little more gothic, but the body count is about the same."

Not surprisingly, Paxton credits some of the atmospheric qualities of "Frailty" to Sam Raimi, who directed him and Thornton in "A Simple Plan." And for those who know Raimi only from directing "Spider-Man," he's made just as big a visual impact directing such thrillers as "The Gift" and "Darkman," and the three "Evil Dead" horror films.

"You can see his influence on this picture," Paxton enthused. "He was incredibly supportive of the movie. He considers 'Frailty' one of his favorite horror films."

In addition to Raimi's work, Paxton pointed out various homages in "Frailty," from dizzying shots inspired by Steven Spielberg's "Jaws" to shadowed, yet horrifying reminders of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho."

But more than anything, "Frailty" hearkens back to an entire classic horror movie genre for one simple, but effective reason: You don't see much, if any, violence on-screen: It is nearly all implied as the camera cuts away to different shots just as the violent acts take place.

"I wanted to do the right thing because of the subject material," Paxton explained. "These two innocents are witnessing brutal killings. I was really trying to diffuse the bomb."

And it didn't take him to make that decision. He was facing the dilemmas from the first time he read the script.

"It was an edgy damn piece when I read it, and I thought, 'How do you make this palatable for an audience? How do you make it so they just don't recoil and not hit the aisles when the murders start happening?'" Paxton recalled. "I thought to myself, 'How would the old masters have handled it?'"

And while he had a bevy of classic films to refer to, Paxton ultimately decided to roll up the big screen and look at the writing on the wall for his answer.

"You can never underestimate the mind's eye," Paxton said. "Because with the sound effects and the music alluding to what's going on, people's minds start filling in the blanks. It turns out to be just as powerful."

But every end needs a means. That's why Paxton ultimately credits screenwriter Brent Hanley for putting his ax to the grindstone, if you will, with his brilliantly complex script.

"When I read the script I could tell it had this neo-classical vibe," Paxton recalled for me. "He had classical roots. He studied some of the classic gothic films of 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. I guess that's why it appealed to me, because when I go to a movie, I want to see an illusion that's been created. I want to see a world that I can be taken into."

"Of course, creating that sort of world can become a bit more complicated when you introduce a sensitive subject matter like religion. Plus, telling a story about a man being ordered by his deity to kill "evil-doers" is sure to conjure a debate about the death penalty.

"On the surface, people may say this movie is pro-vigilantism and pro-death penalty. To me, it's just the opposite," Paxton explained. "It shows you what a foolish and egotistical road we go down when we ordain ourselves as God's executioner. I think God needs man to carry out the more charitable aspects of most religions: selflessness, kindness, compassion, helping your fellow man -- I kind of see this as an anti-death penalty movie."

But ultimately, Paxton happily concedes, he's "not a politico," but a "storyteller."

"As filmmakers, we try to tell a story in a well-crafted way, but I don't think we have the answers or anything," Paxton said.

That's not to say that he doesn't get caught up in the nuances of the script. "It's provocative -- this man is killing people in the name of his god, but what's interesting is that he's not particularly a religious man," Paxton observed. "He just takes on this horrible task he's been given."

Despite the film's religious implications, in the end, he just wants his audiences to see it as a piece of entertainment. And while he said the film has "taken elements of Old Testament stories and puts them in modern clothing," he hopes viewers suspend their disbelief much in the same way they would for a Stephen King story.

"I saw the piece more in terms of science fiction, fantasy and horror," Paxton observed. "This movie is not the Gospel. It's just a story of 'What if?'"