Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Frontier Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf December 4, 2016

On co-writer/director Oren Shai’s IMDB page, there’s a picture of him engrossed in a pulp novel. It’s unlike most photos on the website, highlighting his literary interests, which have been funneled into his feature-length directorial debut, “The Frontier.” Playing around with time and motivation, Shai constructs a criminal chess game in the middle of the Arizona desert, using broad characters and secret pasts to manufacture a mild mystery with noir-ish flavorings. “The Frontier” doesn’t have a big enough budget to completely erase signs of production limitation, but Shai gets an impressive amount accomplished with the resources he has, finding enough tension to preserve interest in this saga of bad people involved in dirty deeds.

Laine (Jocelin Donahue) speeds across the emptiness of Arizona, ending up in Flagstaff for a brief stop at The Frontier motel, where owner Luanne (Kelly Lynch) offers a meal and room to a strange woman displaying visible marks of physical abuse on her neck. Taking pity on Laine, Luanne offers her a waitressing job, tending to the ornery locals, including bruiser Lee (Jim Beaver), and assorted visitors, with glamorous but fragile couple Flynn (Jamie Harris) and Gloria (Izabella Miko) also claiming a room for the night. Checking in on the community is Officer Gault (A.J. Bowen), who takes a shine to Laine, but takes her quick dismissal personally, complicating the situation. Shedding her innocent demeanor as she steals from motel rooms and collects enough cash to remain on the run, Laine is exposed to a larger crime in progress, realizing she’s in the middle of something mysterious that’s keeping everyone on edge during this special night.

The title “The Frontier” has dual meaning, identifying Luanne’s business, which sits in the middle of nowhere, picking up occasional traffic from people looking to avoid highways. There’s also a slight western tilt to the material, with Laine the tired gunslinger entering a town where she’s not welcome, facing hostilities from a number of characters who don’t take kindly to outsiders, especially on this unusual day. Shai sustains a mysterious mood throughout, but introductions are perhaps most interesting, greeting damaged people as they pay The Frontier a visit, keeping Laine on guard as she susses out the situation. Of course, she’s up to no good, using her acting skills to become anything to anyone, with innocent doe her finest creation, using the reputation of a battered woman to slip her way into diner routine. The first act is primarily devoted to establishing temperaments, with Lee aggressive in his distaste for Laine, while Gloria and Flynn are addicts trying to maintain boozy focus on the world around them.

Shai aims to achieve a pulp novel tone to “The Frontier,” and it’s mostly there, though the feature is a touch too static at times, lingering on pause-heavy dialogue while the rest of the effort is better with suspense. Laine keeps the story on the move with her underhanded dealings, including the theft of jewels and sleeping pills from Flynn and Gloria’s room, the latter prize developing into a major plot point, giving the thief a special advantage when problems explode late in the movie. Shai works on his tone, using an undefined time period to keep the tale plausibly remote, using costuming and set design from the late 1960s to best augment his celebration of literary influence. While thrills are few and far between, the screenplay is rich with character, making time to explore haunted histories, including Luanne, who was once a Hollywood starlet in Old Hollywood, only to be rudely disposed of by the men in charge, forcing her to retreat to The Frontier, living a decidedly uneventful life. There’s another supporting character in Eddie (Liam Aiken), Gloria’s younger brother, who crashes into view, adding a bit of youthful recklessness to the mix.

Performances are appealing, though Lynch is periodically encouraged to camp it up, which is a mistake, breaking concentration on violent business. Donahue is nicely reserved as Laine, maintaining an interesting poker face that helps to mask deeper motivation, carrying the picture through silent looks and body language, which helps to keep the effort away from hysterical extremes. Perhaps most impressive are Harris and Miko, who are tasked with making cartoon characters feel authentic to this world, pulling off a dangerous high-wire walk of tonality while remaining an entertaining part of the mess.

The Frontier Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Shot in Super 16, "The Frontier" comes to Blu-ray with an AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation. Reading technical specs might conjure an expectation of a gritty looking effort, but the viewing experience is appealing, with finer grain that preserves the movie's filmic intent. Sharpness is satisfactory, making the most out of lingering close-ups and set decoration, and exterior distances are maintained. Colors are bright and secure, highlighting costuming choices and motel signage, while desert greenery is captured. Skintones are accurate. Delineation is communicative. Source includes a few brief moments with visible debris, but remains clean. Some mild banding is detected.

The Frontier Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix doesn't make much of the surrounds, which mostly push out scoring selections and atmospherics, though little makes a commanding impression. Emphasis is put on dialogue exchanges, and they sound fresh and loud, delivering proper intensity while still maintaining quieter moments. Music is supportive and instrumentation sharp. Sound effects aren't juiced up, but they handle with surprise, giving gunshots and assorted beatings a touch of low-end heft.

The Frontier Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features director Oren Shai and co-writer Webb Wilcoxen.

• Interview (6:03, HD) with Jocelin Donahue is a brief summary of the actress's approach to characterization, working with the production to understand who Laine is, even praising Shai as a feminist for his depiction of a woman claiming independence in a man's world.

• Interview (6:28, HD) with A.J. Bowen also covers the thespian process, with the actor inspecting his "morally gray" character, trying to find something special to play. Again, praise for the helmer is shared.

• Interview (6:07, HD) with Jim Beaver delves even deeper into the philosophy and technique of acting. Beaver is an interesting fellow, and he's open about his process, sharing how he approaches a performance. Beaver also admits his reluctance to even read the script, eventually won over by Shai and Wilcoxen's dramatic construction and love for the genre.

• "8mm Behind the Scenes" (2:56, HD) is a collection of silent moments that showcase the on-set atmosphere, with the cameraman stealing tiny moments in grainy black and white imagery.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:48, HD) is included.

The Frontier Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Again, "The Frontier" isn't big on scale, keeping to diner and motel room interiors, while the last act moves the chase into cars, keeping escalation intimate. Shai stumbles here and there, but for a directorial launch, this is impressively managed work that successfully matches inspiration, making it an ideal sit for those who enjoy crime stories populated with the drunk, the delusional, and the armed, served up with plenty of stare-happy antagonisms and blunt intimidation.