Project-Blu 'Frailty' Blu-ray Review, By Nate Boss

Frailty

By: Nate Boss, 12.22.2009

The Movie Itself:
Project-Blu Points Bulletin (The PB PB)

Pro:
A brilliant decrial of indoctrination
Child actors who aren't cringe-inducing
Bill Paxton at the top of his acting and directing form

Con:
Typical Matthew McConaughey performance
Film runs a hair long for its own good, perhaps explaining far too much
Amazingly cheesy special effects shots that can pull you out of the film, ie the revelation of an angel

I have a longstanding disagreement with the way most children are raised in this world, possibly due to my own exposure to a practice that i feel propagates the weak, breeds hatred and bigotry, disdain for the fellow man, and a sense of superiority.

The indoctrination of religion to children far too young to understand what they are being taught, especially when taught through a doctrine of fear of reprisal for "eternity," is, in my mind, brainwashing. I can't stand the fact that I was forced to sit down and recite bible verses. Who the fuck can utilize random passages of a book meant to take away free thought? When will it come to any good in life? In my case, only to counter religious hypocrisy and intolerance from extremist hypocrites, who conveniently forget the core principles they themselves were brainwashed with when encountering someone they feel is less than human (aka, a non-believer).

The thing about forcing a child into a religion is that they do not choose it for themselves, and yet follow down that path more often than not through their life, due to being told only THEY are right, and that all other religions are damned, so who cares about them? (Anyone who feels this way deserves to burn in the imaginary planes they threaten upon others.) They grow up with a message, a mission, as it were, and over time, interpretation can change to fit whatever situation they encounter. I somehow doubt abortion was a big issue in the times of the bible, but I know some people will say it's in there, don't do it, proof that an ancient book (that has been twisted through the years by man to serve an agenda). People kill due to these beliefs. Doctors die, buildings (property) are collapsed, and innocents are injured, often for life, due to the intolerance bred by those too close-minded to consider the basic human rights of choice and freedom afforded to everyone, regardless of faith, race, sex, sexuality, or intelligence.

Frailty is a brilliant, brilliant film, in this regard. A horror film, set in the south (where things are simpler, church is more important, and hatred is bred in far greater quality due to intolerance of others), it doesn't so much say religion is evil in as many words, but the message is there, to not force beliefs on others, to beware of the consequences of the backlash when forcing one who is not receptive to a belief, that man can twist their faith to evil, evil purposes, and that evil can be done, even in the name of God. The depiction of a young child believing what he hears so much that he abandons his ordinary life due to what he says he sees, or convinces himself he sees, all around him, is perfection in portraying the hypocrisies of the modern intolerant society.

Fenton Meiks (Matthew McConaughey) strolls into the FBI office, and confesses: he knows the identity of the God's Hands Killer. As Agent Wesley Doyle (Powers Boothe, Sin City), the agent in charge of the case, doubts the story being told to him, Meiks tells more and more backstory, to show why his claim that his brother is the infamous killer is truthful. As we see his story, of the relationship he and his brother Adam had with their father, who went from single dad with a hard job, to religious zealot instilled with the belief he is to cleanse the world, we see Doyle become more engrossed in the tale, believing with every passing anecdote more and more that the story being spoonfed to him is the truth, that the case is about to be solved. Little does he know...

The film has a strong Old Testament feel to it, with Dad Meiks (Bill Paxton) acting very much like a twisted, yet quite intelligible and rational, angel of death. He truly believes he is acting like a hand of God, and truly believes those he judges (juries, and executes, as well) are demons. This is a very important point in the film, that they have human names, yet are not considered human in his eyes. They are sub-human, demons. They look like us, but in the film, all are undesirables to some groups. Women. Jews. Rednecks. Narcs. Much like the television sequence in The Silence of the Lambs, where the Senator repeats her kidnapped daughter's name repeatedly so as to humanize her to her captor, the analogy that most serial killers don't consider their prey to be on an equal level of humanity or worth is quite well studied, and accurate, historically at least. This could also be considered an analogy, for racism, as those who look just like us, and have the same structures, physically and mentally, are felt as inferior to some groups, that they don't deserve to live in some eyes. This level of intelligence does not often dwell in a horror film, yet it is in every inch of Frailty. The religion twisted/fueled intolerance and indifference is real, all around us, in every religion. Christians often view Muslims as savages, not worthy of life, and Muslims often view Christian infidels as the same. The double edged sword of hatred in this world is why this world is such a shitty place, in all reality.

Site mascot Bill Paxton (yes, our mascot is a human) directs this twisted, fast paced tale, and it works so well, a suspense thriller of the best kind. Sure, it's predictable, but it doesn't dwell in cliche. There's no fake horror pops, no jump out of your seat moments. It's all real, all believable. This isn't some super criminal mind, or master killer; it's just another podunk mechanic, using his belief to force his family to abide to his will/the will bestowed upon him.

McConaughey, in a somewhat early role in his career, is on display in what would become his trademark: thick accent, innocent puppy dog appeal, and random shirtless moments. He, thankfully, doesn't have that much screen time, as his story takes precedence over his time on camera. His narration isn't half bad, and fits the southern feel of the film. The star, though, has to be Paxton. He's brutal in his belief, to the point you feel you're watching one of the "God Hates Fags" leaders, rather than an actor playing a role, despite his facial and name recognition, he's that damn good.

Frailty isn't for everyone, and may upset some audiences, with it's brutally methodical method of storytelling. It isn't a film with any cultural diversity, either, as it is the story told from one man's point of view, what he has experienced and believes. What Frailty is, though, is an already forgotten gem, a boon to Lionsgate's burgeoning Blu-ray catalog, and a fantastic little film. Replay value on the film isn't as low as one would expect from a twist-film, but it isn't out of the blue, like most of the modern ridiculous twist-centered fare. This isn't the best example of the genre, but it is certainly a perfect depiction on how to make a great film, without focussing on fancy special effects (the effects in the film are downright abysmal), nudity, extreme violence, or catering to an audiences desires. Frailty is what it is, and that's pure awesome.
Rating: 9/10

The Presentation:
Frailty comes to Blu-ray with a 1080p, AVC MPEG-4 encode that made me wonder quite a bit about this release.

The film is packed on a 25GB single layer disc. Along with a 7.1 lossless track. It isn't a short film like A Charlie Brown Christmas. There are THREE commentary tracks, and a good pile of extras on top of that. I looked at all this before jumping in to the viewing, and thought to myself, "this is going to be one artifacted like hell Blu-ray!!!"

It wasn't, per se, but Frailty does have some issues that I could attribute to disc jamming.

Blacks crush, and provide safe haven to artifacts quite often. The picture can get a bit blurry at times, just lacking in clear definition, like stubble, that should be an easy score on any Blu-ray. Grain levels fluctuate throughout the film, and not just from the flash forward/flashback sequences on non-linear continuity. Some shots are a good/bad thing, with foregrounds that come through crystal clear and gorgeous, but backgrounds are a blurred disaster when foregrounds are at their best. The picture (due to the filming) has some shakiness at times, that makes distinction difficult, though there was a few matte paintings in the flashbacks that are clearly old and recycled, just ugly as sin.

While this video transfer does sport some negatives, there are some strong positives to report on the curious case of Frailty. Edges are natural, DNR doesn't exist, and banding wasn't ever blatant, if it existed at all. Colors are natural, and quite strong. There are some seriously amazing close up shots, with deep distinction and definition. It's a case of the good mixed with the bad...the question really, though, is whether this is the best the film will ever look, or if it would benefit from being given room to breath.

Again, all praise to Lionsgate for giving Frailty a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix. Their speciality, it seems, doesn't really seem to be "fitting" for a film like Frailty, so to have it included is a coup, to say the least, especially considering some movies or shows (ahem, Clone Wars Season One) don't even get the lossless treatment on any language track, let alone one that utilizes high end home theaters that have integrated a few extra speakers into the mix.

Frailty isn't an excessively engrossing film, at least from an audio perspective, so it isn't truly fair to judge it for what it isn't. Yes, surround activity isn't all that great. There's some ambiance here and there, some light movement, and there's even an occasional bit of localization or speaker jumping that made me quite impressed. Dialogue can be a real pain, due to the accents of the characters (or should we say the bad accents at times). Bass levels go absolutely nutty in the opening credits, and any scene involving a bit of the ol' Biblical style execution. The few moments of gunfire sport a great pop that can make you jump. Still, the film feels inexpensive when you judge it by the audio, as it is extremely front heavy when not in emotional sequences, which go absolutely balls to the wall. A bit of the two tone, which may be a part of the film's theme, but it doesn't come across all too super.

A side note, that has nothing to do with the audio score for this release, but has to do with the audio and video of the disc. After the menu, if you press play, the 1080p menu switches to 1080i (and for some sets, this causes a bit of a pause) for a short DTS-HD Master Audio promo (think like the THX logos for Star Wars). This promo is louder than anything in the film, rattling the room out of nowhere with a huge bass jump from the start. It would be fantastic if Lionsgate would get a copy of this promotion that had 1080p video (as the television has to reset back to 1080p for the film, anyways), so as to prevent a long pause between pressing play and seeing the film, and if they could tweak the volume down quite a bit, so that it does not cause a heart attack.
Rating: 7/10 (video score: 6.8/10, audio score: 7.4/10)

The Extras:
Audio Commentary with Bill Paxton
Audio Commentary with Arnold Glassman, Brian Tyler, and David Kirschner
Audio Commentary with Brent Hanley
The Making of Frailty
Anatomy of a Scene
Deleted Scenes
Theatrical Trailer
Photo Gallery
Storyboard Gallery
Also From Lionsgate
Bookmarks
Rating: 7/10

Overall:
Frailty isn't your run of the mill horror/thriller by any means. It's an already forgotten little gem of a suspense film with great religious analogy that deserves a good viewing or two. The Lionsgate Blu-ray for the film is loaded with extras, especially considering they are all on a BD25 with the film, but the presentation quality may have been affected by such. This title is definitely worth buying at the great bargain price. Don't think twice, just buy once.
Rating: 7/10