Triple Frontier Movie Review

Triple Frontier (2019)

Watch Triple Frontier on Netflix
Written by: Mark Boal & J.C. Chandor (screenplay), Mark Boal (story)
Directed by: J.C. Chandor
Starring: Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, Pedro Pascal
Rated: R
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Plot
Loyalties are tested when five friends reunite to take down a South American drug lord, unleashing a chain of unintended consequences.

Verdict
Reviews have been mixed, but I really like this movie. It's a tight action movie that focuses not on the heist, but how do you physically move millions of dollars. It's not easy.
While there's a bit of character development, where the writing shines is when you think about why characters acted a certain way. All the pieces are there, but the movies not going to spell it out for you.
I like the story, I like the characters. The movie does a great job of quickly giving them just a bit of substance, enough to bridge the gap.
Watch it.

Review
I like J.C Chandor's movie. All is Lost was a neat gimmick where Robert Redford is the only actor in the movie and only says a couple of words. A Most Violent Year (read my review) was a great movie. I was surprised that it flew under the radar. The characterization and story is excellent.

This has the a typical setup with ex military Santiago now a mercenary. He's got a big money job and wants to recruit his former enlisted friends on a big score. He sells them that they earned the money based on their contributions to their country. It's a solid introduction that doesn't get too long. It gives us just enough information on the guys and then we're in the jungle.

Before we enter the point of no return, Ben Afflek's character gets  a little melodramatic, talking about breaking all the oaths they've ever taken, but it's not wrong. The best scene is when the guys discover the money, more money than they ever realized. Their jubilation is electric and the movie captures that. All that money causes them to deviate from their plan, snowballing into problems throughout the movie. Some of them got greedy and regret leaving money behind. That push for a few dollars more causes things to get a bit messy.

This movie tackles the sheer physical weight of stealing millions of dollars. The volume and weight is a complication most movies avoid completely. In this it's central to the story. It's that focus that makes me like this movie. The first time the group has to leave money behind, you know that's going to be a reoccurring theme. They have too much money.

You could see this as Afflek going off the deep end since he was the most reluctant initially, but in his mind he owns that money and he can't let go of it. His character has a good amount of depth. He's got a family to support and a job for which he's ill equipped. That's what made him reluctant, but completely flip once he decided he was going for it.

This movie doesn't give you everything, you have to think about the characters' actions and what might motivate them. The ending seems like a selfless act, but I imagine part of it is to offset the guilt.