Review: Triple Frontier [Netflix 2019]

To say I was excited about Triple Frontier is an understatement. Ever since I learned about this movie, and specifically, about the cast, I was completely on board and eager to see the film. Because, really, wouldn’t you want to see an action movie with Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund and Pedro Pascal? Isn’t this an amazing cast?

Luckily (and with the help of local Netflix PR people) I managed to see it a whole week earlier, although it was a screener with my email address imprinted on the screen (which was a pain in the ass, but I went through it, of course). 

I enjoyed “Triple Frontier” and I think the cast did a great job, but I feel that the script focused on the action and the heist than on the character development. This aspect affected certain performances and “buried” some characters. Still, overall, the story is compelling and I loved it.

One of the first things I have to mention is the cinematography, which stands out mostly because of the sets and scenery they used (Hawaii, Sierra Nevada, Columbia). It’s actually too bad that most people will see it on a small TV screen, I bet it would look great in cinemas (it had a limited run in America, in about 10-20 cities).

Second important thing about Triple Frontier are the actors. Like I mentioned before, I really liked the chemistry and interactions between the five main guys. Some characters were more developed than others, but they all gelled together. Some reviews rightfully said that the characters weren’t fleshed out completely, that they seemed very similar to each other, and I agree. With the exception of Ben Affleck, most didn’t have the chance to stand out, especially Pedro Pascal, who was the least noticeable out of all of them, at least to me.

Affleck had the most backstory, and also the most visible character development (he turns from depressive and cautious to greedy and erratic). Oscar Isaac was the leader of the group and he delivers a great performance as a smart soldier who decides to beat the system and the drugs mafia, all whilst planning a heist and managing a team of 4 ex-special forces guys. Charlie Hunnam is the most rational and seemingly normal out of all of them; a man who is torn between laying low and continuing his military experience. Also, weird accent, he still hasn’t mastered his American one.

Now, let’s talk Garrett Hedlund. I have been following his career for a long time (2004? 2005?), so obviously one of the reasons I was so excited for this movie was his involvement. I have a soft spot for him and I always will. The thing is, his character in Triple Frontier was pretty…immature?! I would even say naive, but with a brutish nature. Personally, I don’t like these kinds of characters, so I wasn’t a fan of him in this movie. Did he do a good job? Maybe he did, I can’t really say because I think I am bias. The problem was the script, because his lines were pretty stupid. But he did have some scenes in the second part that were really good and his interaction with Charlie Hunnam’s character, who played his brother, were lovely (to be expected, considering they have been friends in real life for over 15 years). Also, Garrett was the only cast member in this movie to appear with no shirt on, so bonus points for that (his body was not perfectly shaped, 6 packs and all, but I kind of liked that- he is a real man with a normal body, after all).

Garrett Hedlund is Benny. See #TripleFrontier on March 13 on Netflix and in select theaters. pic.twitter.com/XN6cIa9oj9

— Triple Frontier (@triplefrontier) March 10, 2019

My mixed feelings were about the script. On the one hand, I loved the twists & turns of the story, especially the fact that the heist was built and finished in an inventive way, not relying on frequently used tropes of these kinds of movies (the trailer is very deceiving). On the other hand, although it takes different routes than you might expect, these routes eventually become a bit boring, especially in the last part of the film. This might have been a rational decision on the scriptwriters’ part, in order to focus on the characters and their comradery, but I would have liked more action after the heist happened, too. And although these characters had plenty of time to develop, they somehow didn’t, because you don’t learn a whole lot about them, and it’s too bad, because they seem interesting.   

In the end, you should definitely catch Triple Frontier on Netflix for the cinematography, cool way of doing a heist and the eye candy. Is it amazing? Not really, but it’s a good movie.