By Jonathan Klotz
| Updated
Five years ago, Netflix dropped the heist thriller Triple Frontier on its service, and though the film made waves during its first few months of release, it’s fallen out of the public consciousness. The movie has a generic plot about former Marines robbing a South American drug lord, but that’s not what really makes it fun.
It’s the cast, which includes Ben Affleck, Pedro Pascal, Charlie Hunnam, Garret Hedlund, and Oscar Isaac, that makes Triple Frontier a good time.
One Last Job
While it’s not The Expendables, it’s an amazing collection of modern stars, and it’s made clear within the film’s opening minutes that they all understood the assignment and nailed the tone of men with questionable morals coming together for one last job. The dialogue alternates from quiet contemplation to rapid-fire, but it’s dripping with testosterone even as the plan falls apart around them, triggering a series of events that culminate with a wild car chase through a Peruvian village. Triple Frontier doesn’t re-invent the wheel, but it’s one of the best-looking wheels available on Netflix today.
Oscar Isaac, as Pope, takes the lead, while Ben Affleck’s Redfly gives him a chance to play a loose cannon, the polar opposite of his meticulous character from The Accountant. Charlie Hunnam and Garret Hedlund, as Ironhead and Benny, respectively, don’t have the same track record as their co-stars, both at one point were poised to be Hollywood’s next big action star, making Triple Frontier their most successful film in years.
Finally, there’s Pedro Pascal, who seems to be everywhere these days, as Catfish. He’s the unit’s pilot and he gets a few great moments, but if this had been filmed after The Mandalorian and The Last of Us took off, we all know Pascal would have a lot more to do.
One Of The Best Netflix Originals
Though the cast makes Triple Frontier fun, it’s still a Netflix original movie, which means it has that slightly off-putting gloss of their in-house productions. The colors look saturated, and with the exception of the green of the jungle, are primarily shades of brown and beige, which fits the streamer’s house style and is done on purpose for technical reasons, but it will make you wish this could have been a bigger production.
The director and writer, J.C. Chandor, keeps the pace moving, maintaining a tight focus compared to, say, Netflix’s Red Notice. After watching the film, you’ll understand why Sony tapped him to helm Kraven the Hunter.
Triple Frontier’s status as a really great B-movie is confirmed by the critics, with a 71 percent fresh rating, while the audience was harsher, with a 58 percent rating. I can see why the audience score is lower; there is a twist, and it takes the back half of the film in a different direction. However, I, for one, appreciated what Chandor did because it subverted my expectations, but don’t worry; there’s still plenty of action in the final third.
Triple Frontier Was A Hit For Netflix
When it debuted in 2019, Triple Frontier accrued over 52 million views in its first month on Netflix. That might not seem like a lot given the streaming explosion post-Covid, but it was enough for the film to be considered a success.
Since then, all of the leads have gone on to find more success, with Isaac joining the MCU in Moon Knight, Pascal saving Star Wars with The Mandalorian, Affleck getting The Accountant 2 into production, Hunnam staying with Netflix for Rebel Moon, while Hedlun joined Sylvester Stallone on Tulsa King. If you’ve never imagined seeing them together as ex-Delta Force members ripping off a drug lord, it’s well worth your time and makes for a perfect lazy afternoon viewing.
