A surprisingly gripping men-on-a-mission action thriller with an impressive cast, Triple Frontier is well worth seeing – even if it takes a while to really get going.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t exactly come into this with high expectations. The trailer and especially the title reminded me of 2016’s Triple 9, another action thriller with a great cast and even a somewhat similar premise. So, I was all set for another middling heist flick, elevated by a cast too good for the movie they were in. I’m happy to report I was wrong.
Triple Frontier follows a group of military veterans who set out to steal the fortune of a Columbian drug lord. The idea comes from Santiago ‘Pope’ Garcia (Oscar Isaac), a private military advisor who’s spent years fighting drug crime with little to show for it.
He recruits his former captain Tom ‘Redfly’ Davis (Ben Affleck), a divorced realtor struggling to make ends meet, and other old Special Forces friends – William ‘Ironhead’ Miller (Charlie Hunnam) and his brother Ben (Garrett Hedlund), as well as former pilot Francisco ‘Catfish’ Morales (Pedro Pascal).
World-weary soldiers past their prime, with little hope of a comfortable, cushy retirement – which is why they end up joining Pope on a mission to steal millions. The first half of the movie is spent setting up and executing the heist: getting to know the principal players, learning the layout, making a plan and getting it done.
It’s the least interesting part of the movie and even then, it’s not even that bad. It’s decent and comfortably familiar. The action, for the most part, is grounded and quietly absorbing. When the bullets start flying, the main characters lock everything else down and act like professional soldiers. Apart from a few notable exceptions, there’s very little fuss.
Things go wrong in a big way and our protagonists end up leaving with significantly more money than they expected. It’s certainly more money than their helicopter can carry. A crash landing is only the first of many unexpected obstacles brought on by their greed.
This is where Triple Frontier gets really interesting. The characters slowly start to unravel under the intense pressure of the situation. They make mistakes and the group begins showing signs of cracking. However, there’s still a very tangible, very raw camaraderie to their dynamic that will engross viewers.
They’re not fighting each other to foreshadow a double cross or heel turn. Nor is it a cheap way to stir up drama. When a character acts out, eventually he’ll either come to his senses on his own or with the help of the others – which isn’t to say that these moments are inconsequential.
On the contrary, they add layers to the characters by showing us how fallible, and, indeed, human they are. Seeing these guys stick together through thick and thin made me root for them.
It’s not a particularly uplifting film, as things continue to go from bad to worse throughout. Yet it isn’t mean-spirited either, since everything that goes wrong happens is a direct consequence of something the characters do or say.
It’s a melancholic, character-driven thriller. Good writing and a strong cast (Affleck and Isaac in particular bring their A-game) make it easy to connect to the characters.
The soundtrack is pretty good, although perhaps too easily recognizable.
The only other thing I feel like mentioning is the final scene, which I’m not sure I liked. I won’t spoil it, but it felt a little out of place – like it was the ending to that cheesy heist film I thought Triple Frontier would be. More of a nit-pick than anything else.
In conclusion, if you’re a fan of even just one of the cast members, you should watch Triple Frontier. If you like character-driven men-on-a-mission thrillers, you should watch Triple Frontier. If you have some free time and a Netflix account, watch Brooklyn 99, cause it’s really funny – but also, check out Triple Frontier.
Triple Frontier is available to stream on Netflix