'Triple Frontier' Movie Review

Released: March 13, 2019 (Netflix)

Length: 125 Minutes

Certificate: 15

Director: J. C. Chandor

Starring: Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garret Hedlund, Pedro Pascal and Adria Ajona

Bringing together a range of prominent actors and taking inspiration from razor-edged action thrillers, Netflix’s Triple Frontier utilises an engaging premise and sadly just settles for par, unable to make a full impact.

Triple Frontier follows Santiago “Pope” Garcia (Oscar Isaac) and his band of ex-special forces as they attempt to pull off a daring heist; the drug lord Lorea is hampering Garcia’s operations in Mexico and the skilled operative believes he can eliminate two birds with one stone by robbing the enemy. Gathering up his old comrades, which include Tom “Redfly” Davies (Ben Affleck), William “Ironhead” Miller (Charlie Hunnam), Ben Miller (Garret Hedlund) and Francisco “Catfish” Morales (Pedro Pascal), the grand theft begins, but the team eventually runs into dangerous setbacks. The pacing of Triple Frontier is straightforward enough, not wasting time going off on tangents and getting straight to the operation but simultaneously it comes off as very basic. The by-the-book attitude of the characters also applies to the story with a few brief action scenes broken up by traversal sequences and the occasional chase. The central issue is that there’s hardly any build-up or weight behind most of it; you may find yourself tuning out as things don’t really escalate as much as they trundle along throughout the proceedings.

For a batch of military types, Triple Frontier makes some attempts to make each member of the team distinctive; the opening act is firmly committed to giving some light background with “Redfly” being a divorced estate agent struggling to provide for his daughter for example. Again, there’s a hint of unique characteristics here and a camaraderie between the men. The actors do a passable job of interacting with each other but that’s just what it is; fine. When you consider how films from 30 years ago have done a better job of binding squads of soldiers together; with the amount of talent on-screen, they could have done a lot more with additional material. Very few of the character’s past operations are elaborated on and the believability of this team consistently falls short. I believe the biggest absence comes with the character’s ethics; as the team undertakes their mission, there are some confrontational situations, but rarely do they reflect on the things they’ve done when compared to their past lives in the special forces. Things are rooted in the present which diminishes the depth the film could have had. The side characters are practically non-existent as well, most notably Adria Ajona’s Yovanna, who has some dealings with the pope. The fact that we never see the proposed antagonist doesn’t help either.

At least it’s all well-presented; Triple Frontier certainly can’t be knocked for the finer details; each action sequence is shot deftly, keeping at a medium range alongside some more far-reaching shots of the landscape. These are beautiful at times and highlight an environment that hides a rotten drug war underneath. The film does make some contextual nods to this topic as Pope raids a den with local police in the film’s opening. The film never really rises to a white-knuckled intensity, however. A helicopter over encumbered with cargo is probably the film’s tensest moment as it is done without any music, allowing the natural sounds and protests of the vehicle to build the stakes. Because the characters don’t have enough development or build-up, the film’s goals of realism also fall short. Even the central heist feels half-baked when compared to its contemporaries.

It may have a strong list of actors and competent technical details, but Triple Frontier is a painfully average amalgamation of missed potential. Everything the film attempts to accomplish turns out flat and the high points it does have rarely follow through to create a gritty edge. Perhaps if you’re looking for some more realistic action scenes, you’ll get some enjoyment but otherwise I can’t recommend it.

Rating: 2.5/5 Stars (Mediocre)