Triple Frontier

Triple Frontier is a hidden gem under the dense canopy of the Netflix jungle that should be explored because of its star studded cast. Watching a story unfold, completely blind to its purpose or scope, was an immersive and surprisingly human experience that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The cast is amazing: Oscar Isaac, Ben Affleck, Charlie Hunnam—a personal favorite—Pedro Pascal, and Garrett Hedlund bring out the texture and emotion of every line they share together. They are the reason I watched this film, and they are the reason it is elevated to the height it reaches. You feel the history their characters have with the small talk bouncing between each conversation, not only revealing the central theme of this film but also creating an organic thread that ties these five characters together. The chemistry is the solid foundation holding the story together, but when the gunfire starts, the actors’ entire bodies form into a cold, calculating mesh of warriors with no intention of leaving empty handed.

Oscar Isaac and Ben Affleck bring out so much character with so little words throughout the story. These soldiers are truly broken, barely treading water in their own worlds as the rest of the team has turned to more shameful alternatives to get money. Oscar Isaac’s character has been hunting down the same drug lord for three years, but his Brazilian task force is too corrupt to get the job done. His only key to this mythical safe is his girlfriend informant, who only listens to his empty promises so she can get her brother out of prison. Then there is the opposite side of life for veterans being represented by Ben Affleck, a failing real estate agent for run-down condos that divorced his wife and cannot communicate with his daughter as she is going through her teenage life. These two characters chose the opposite paths after their infantry days were over, but are never given the reward of their service. This idea is best shown when Ben Affleck’s character realizes the future he can have when they find the money. He immediately changes. In the beginning, he rejects the plan and only accepts to look at the files out of curiosity, but when the plan begins to move on, he snaps and goes against his own structured protocol. He forces the team to collect more money, waste more time, risk more lives—especially their own—to ensure he can have the reward he believes he deserves. This choice at the end of the first act places the boulder at the top of the cliff, ready to crush all hope by the end, and the audience can feel it in the other soldiers’ faces. The shift from a routine house-break-in-operation to the running from a shameful crime begins at that moment, and begins to tear the team apart right in front of the audience.

Garrett Hedlund is the reason I wrote my first review, TRON: Legacy, because of his weak performance—but I was beyond surprised by the depth he showed in this film. Using the introduction of his character through his constant reminders to make his friends cheer him on in a cage fight, while they are actually talking about the heist, shows how much he relies on the strength of his team. This need is then corrupted by the strength he gains later on when he begins burning wads of cash as a fire to keep himself warm, even though it risks the safety of their camp. Second from Ben Affleck’s character, this character arc highlights the main corruption these characters face by merely carrying the money they feel they deserve.

Out of all the Netflix originals I have watched, this one is by far the most stunning in visual style and texture. Shooting on location in the jungle and Brazilian villages helps the story breathe with life, making every cliff or building give a primal sense that something is hiding on the other side. You can feel the mud between your toes and the dirt under your nails. The weather beats against these characters with such physicality that the twists and turns to their plan seem real with the fight or flight response.

The one element of the story I struggled with was the direction it chose for its antagonist. There is no central antagonist. There is so much build up for a twist, or a betrayal: is the drug lord still alive? Is the girlfriend going to turn on them? Is Oscar Isaac’s character? All this build up and suspense cyclones around the audience during the heist, exhilarating the story with tension and suspense, but it then fizzles out to be a survival conflict in the jungle. What is gained out of this choice is the hidden idea that for every man they shoot, his son is the next drug lord for tomorrow’s soldiers to hunt down. Every step they make in the jungle brings their purpose two steps back, and the camera shows how the victims look at the characters in horror and hatred. The consequences of this heist saturate the air with a humid sense of doubt and fear, and even though it is not fully utilized, those reaction shots of the victims’ hatred still plant that idea in the backs of our minds for the remainder of the story.

Overall, the chemistry and bravado of the star-studded cast, and the beautiful wildness of Brazil make this film stand out from the mosh pit of heist films. The shootouts are grounded in a tense reality, and the overarching idea driving these characters to throw away their vows and duty shines true in its defense. The hardship these soldiers face without reward breaks them down to their most vulnerable, but when they finally act against it, their shattered morality takes them too far to gain anything on the other side.

Story Rating: 7/10

Character Rating: 8/10