July 27, 2018
Written by: Brent Hanley
Starring: Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, Powers Boothe
Budget: $11,000,000
Quote: "I didn't kill her, son, I destroyed her. She was a demon. You know, I wasn't so sure I could do it myself. I mean, she looked like a woman to me, too. But after I touched her... all I could see is the evil."
Trivia: Bill Paxton used the same beer can the entire filming of the movie because they could only find one Hamm's beer can like that from 1979. The can was "opened" off-camera and a sound effect added for popping its top.
I saw this movie last in my early twenties a few years after it first came out and fell in love with the movie. I even wrote a song for the band I was in based on the movie called "Kill for Christ." I was so excited to show this to my wife who had never heard of it and had no idea about the twist ending (I don't want to spoil anything here, but it is up there with The Usual Suspects as one of the great twist endings). The ending also caught her off guard and makes for such a fun and odd movie.
The film begins when one of two brothers named Fenton (played by Matthew McConaughey) goes to a police station to say that his brother is the serial killer they are looking for called The Hand of God Killer. He then recounts his life and the events that led to his brother becoming the Hand of God Killer. According to the story, the boys' father (Bill Paxton) claims to have been visited by God who will provide them with three weapons to fight demons that are disguised as humans. The weapons are a lead pipe, work gloves, and an axe. Afterwards, the angels bring the father a list of seven demons he is to kill. The movie escalates when the father brings home one of the "demons" and murders him in front of his children claiming when he puts his hands on them he can see what they really are. There are several other demon killings until the other brother, Fenton tries to put a stop to the killings eventually killing his father.
Bill Paxton did a great job acting and directing this movie. His character's seemingly decent into madness is anxiety causing. I spent the movie wondering, when is he going to get caught or when is he going to stop? His behavior and flimsy excuses (only I can see the demons, a lead pipe that I smash people over the head with is a weapon from God, Angels talked to me while working at the mechanic's garage) reminds you of every other "crazy" person who God tells to kill others. The only difference is that it doesn't appear that anybody is going to stop Paxton.
The murders are made all the more brutal by the fact that both children are required to watch the murders happen. Plus, there is just something awful about axe murders. Axes are in many ways a combination of a blade and a blunt instrument. It requires the force and causes the damage of a club or hammer but with the ability to slice through the body like a blade. This was one of many reasons why the Lizzie Borden murders caused such a controversy. The cruelty it takes to inflict death with an axe is almost unbelievable.
I also love the juxtaposition of the two brothers. The younger one, Adam, is much more susceptible to his father's influence and immediately takes everything his father says as gospel. Adam even claims to be able to see the demons too which Fenton is quick to call him out on. Fenton sees the demon annihilating as pure murder and grows to resent not only his father but God in particular and his father's religion in general. This inevitably causes a rift between brothers and leads to Fenton murdering his father.
SPOILERS: Don't Read If You Don't Want The Ending Spoiled
What makes the movie so incredible is the ending and the slow build towards the multiple twists. McConaughey's character divulging that he is really Adam, the younger brother, and that he has been destroying demons after his father died is just the first in a series of twists. McConaughey, as Adam is the one who killed his brother who was indeed a serial killer and a demon. Also, the reason he is even speaking to the sheriff is because the sheriff is on his list of demons to destroy. The movie then backtracks and we no longer see events from Fenton's perspective, but from Adam's including seeing the human's for what they really are, murderous demons. Little moments, like when he asked about the sheriff's mom make more sense after we see the sheriff murder her when his true identity is reveled.
While this doesn't necessarily mean that Adam really is working as God's killer, there are a set of odd happenings make it hard not to believe. The sheriff station cameras all glitch at moments when Adam's face could be seen in the camera. Also, one of the other detectives cannot remember Adam's face even after he visits the station to give news of his brother's murder.
The movie forces us to reevaluate everything that we take for granted or assumed. Perhaps crazy is not what we thought it was and perhaps there are larger powers out there that do engage with our world. Maybe God is listening and maybe Demons do exist. It is this 180 that the movie forces us to do with our beliefs that make it such a memorable film.
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