Frank & Lola Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Frank & Lola Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf February 10, 2017

Michael Shannon is an intense actor, and he’s maintained a career interest in playing intimidating or fried men, using his natural way with darkness to create often memorable characters that have complete contempt for humanity in common. Perhaps one day Shannon will stun the world with his portrayal of the Easter Bunny, or perhaps he’ll star in a music bio-pic about Raffi, but for now, he’s trying to corner the market on hard men, and he’s doing a wonderful job. “Frank & Lola” isn’t a professional detour for Shannon, but it does manage to harness his gift for threatening behavior, with writer/director Matthew Ross (making his helming debut) capturing raw nerve work from the actor, allowing him to define the unsettling tone of this burning, disquieting drama.

A master chef stuck working around Las Vegas hotels, Frank (Michael Shannon) makes a special connection to Lola (Imogen Poots), an aspiring fashion designer. Embarking on a relationship, Frank becomes obsessed with Lola’s life outside of their affair, with his curiosity piqued by her interest in kinky sex and the attention she commands when out on the town. Struggling with issues of jealousy and control, Frank’s patience is thinned by smarmy businessman Keith (Justin Long), who appears to hit on Lola by purchasing her dreams, only to turn around and offer the chef a shot at culinary glory in Paris, auditioning for one of the finest restaurateurs in the world. When Lola reveals a grim past of sexual assault during an argument, Frank uses the trip to France to research her claim, seeking out author Alan (Michael Nyqvist) to learn more about his slippery ways with women, with plans to kill him.

“Frank & Lola” is small in scale, possibly conceived by Ross as a theatrical production at one point. The screenplay concentrates on the inner lives of its titular characters, with Frank its top priority, studying a chef with severe control issues, boasting incredible talents in the kitchen but a hazy employment history, bouncing around Las Vegas, impressing all with his sophisticated culinary creations. In Lola, Frank has a special prize, connecting to a younger woman he can’t quite possess in full, though both feel something different in their numbed lives, building a relationship that’s inconsistent but fiery, primarily fueled by mutual curiosity. Joy isn’t really an option for these broken people, and we witness their daily tests of patience, including a dinner with Lola’s mother, Patricia (Rosanna Arquette), who openly belittles her daughter in front of Frank, and he’s clear about his distaste for it. It’s a White Knight moment with a homicidal edge, setting up Frank’s blunt instincts and his gradual occupation of Lola.

Jealousy is major component of the screenplay, and Ross does an excellent job of misdirection, creating different characters to block Frank from completely devouring Lola. Keith is a potential problem, turning a fledgling bar pick-up into a job offer for Lola, trying to soften her up by flaunting his power. He’s a big question mark in the movie, soon joined by Alan, a seemingly mild-mannered writer who harbors troubling sexual appetites, accused of raping Lola -- an horrific act that helped to shape her dysfunction. “Frank & Lola” doesn’t open with any noticeable force, lingering on the silence between the lovers, but it soon reveals a direction, following Frank to Paris, where he barely pays attention to a critical chef audition, unable to purge close proximity to Alan out of his mind, exposing himself to a psychological game with a possible predator he’s completely unprepared for.

Frank & Lola Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation has the advantage of glowing Vegas and Parisian signage and locations, adding a fresh bit of bright, vivid color to the viewing experience, bringing active nightlife to HD without disruption. Hues are compelling, keeping primaries intact, best served with stylish costuming and varied interior decoration, and skintones are natural. "Frank & Lola" is a moody picture, and the HD-shot effort comes through with adequate clarity and some expected flatness, though delineation can be periodically problematic, teasing solidification with a few dimly lit encounters, losing textures on hair and costuming, and contests of intensity are missing some illumination. Detail is better with faces, capturing subtle reactions and textures, and locations maintain frame activity, making it relatively easy to study. Banding is periodically detected.

Frank & Lola Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix is largely driven by intimate encounters, putting emphasis on dialogue exchanges as the actors battle back and forth with hushed confessions and more heated articulations of frustration. Voices are crisp and clean throughout, and dramatic volatility never hits distortive extremes. Scoring cues are more about setting a noir-ish, jazzy mood, delivering comfortable, communicative instrumentation and excellent support, never threatening the performances. Low-end offers some intriguing rumble during Frank's bouts with rage, and a mid-movie nightclub excursion provides a rich thump to the listening experience. Surrounds are capable but not overtly active, pushing out urban exteriors and restaurant business, creating lightly immersive atmospherics with the sound of food prep and diner conversations.

Frank & Lola Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There is no supplementary material on this disc.

Frank & Lola Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Frank & Lola" has a noir-ish sense of craftsmanship, and its way with psychosexual issues is intriguing, coloring this game of manipulation with salacious details. Power plays dominate the proceedings, and Shannon is especially sharp with this type of conflict, delivering a coiled performance that's coolly observational, making Frank's care for Lola waver between romantic protection and big game hunting, keeping tabs on the woman, testing her in small ways. Poots is a fine screen partner (though the British actress's stiff American accent continues to distract), but this is really the Shannon Show, and he's great, especially during moments with Nyqvist, who's nicely reptilian. Ross wisely keeps attention on his cast, allowing "Frank & Lola" to develop a sense of instability and increase its potential for violence without turning to predictable plotting just to lubricate suspense. It's not a major offering of uneasiness, but its toxic charms soon become riveting.