I'm not even going to pretend that I was interested in seeing Triple Frontier for its plot. I didn't even know what it was about because I just didn't care. Four hot and talented men —and unfortunately Ben Affleck— were a strong enough motivation to sit through Netflix's latest film.
Just in case you are not as shallow as I am, the story follows five Special Forces friends, Santiago "Pope" Garcia (Oscar Isaac), Tom "Redfly" Davis (Ben Affleck), William "Ironhead" Miller (Charlie Hunnam), his brother Ben (Garrett Hedlund), and Francisco "Catfish" Morales as they reunite in South America to rob a drug lord (Reynaldo Gallegos).
There are parts of the plot that are a bit of a stretch of imagination and it's not always very realistic as the five friends make such stupid mistakes Special Forces veterans would never make, but, despite this, Triple Frontier grabs your attention right from the start with a compelling, tense heist, and keeps it until the very end as the characters are forced to face the consequences of their actions. In addition, it does a more than decent job at showing how hard it can be for Special Forces ops, or military in general, to adapt to a normal life.
Sadly, the characters aren't as compelling the reason being the poor writing. As pointed out by Geek Teller, the script focuses too much on the story and heist, and kind of forgets about its characters who, in return, are pretty thin, under-characterized and under-developed —Tom has some backstory and some visible change as he starts off as a calm, practical man who is at first reluctant about the mission only to reach levels of greediness I've rarely seen before.
Despite the poor material, the cast does a wonderful job and the chemistry between them is undeniable. Ben Affleck gives the standout performance —it sure does help that he has the best-written character, the only one whose journey we really care about—, and Oscar Isaac also gives a compelling performance as the head of the operation. Charlie Hunnam whose accent is quite distracting, Garrett Hedlund, and especially Pedro Pascal, unfortunately, don't have a lot to work with, and the only reason they leave an impression is because of their charismatic screen presence.
Another good reason to give Triple Frontier a chance is the outstanding cinematography of Roman Vasyanov which really enhances the tension with some pretty intense war-like scenes. The production design is also incredible, and the soundtrack, while I found one song cheesy and not the right fit for the scene, is great.
Ultimately, this is an entertaining film, with an interesting story and good performances. Sure, it does have its flaws as the characters are weak and the action limited, but the positives definitely outweigh the negatives.
There are parts of the plot that are a bit of a stretch of imagination and it's not always very realistic as the five friends make such stupid mistakes Special Forces veterans would never make, but, despite this, Triple Frontier grabs your attention right from the start with a compelling, tense heist, and keeps it until the very end as the characters are forced to face the consequences of their actions. In addition, it does a more than decent job at showing how hard it can be for Special Forces ops, or military in general, to adapt to a normal life.
Sadly, the characters aren't as compelling the reason being the poor writing. As pointed out by Geek Teller, the script focuses too much on the story and heist, and kind of forgets about its characters who, in return, are pretty thin, under-characterized and under-developed —Tom has some backstory and some visible change as he starts off as a calm, practical man who is at first reluctant about the mission only to reach levels of greediness I've rarely seen before.
Despite the poor material, the cast does a wonderful job and the chemistry between them is undeniable. Ben Affleck gives the standout performance —it sure does help that he has the best-written character, the only one whose journey we really care about—, and Oscar Isaac also gives a compelling performance as the head of the operation. Charlie Hunnam whose accent is quite distracting, Garrett Hedlund, and especially Pedro Pascal, unfortunately, don't have a lot to work with, and the only reason they leave an impression is because of their charismatic screen presence.
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| Netflix |
Ultimately, this is an entertaining film, with an interesting story and good performances. Sure, it does have its flaws as the characters are weak and the action limited, but the positives definitely outweigh the negatives.
