Streaming Pick – Triple Frontier
March 13, 2019
Your weekly streaming pick has arrived. We are jumping back into Netflix Originals. This action/crime movie has an allstar cast and some really solid action sequences. Netflix has really upped their game in the last few months as far as acquisitions and productions.
Santiago Garcia (Oscar Isaac) gets in touch with four other retired Special Forces operatives he served with. Garcia had been working a case in South America, tracking down a filthy rich drug dealer. The crew make and execute a plan to take out the scumbag and steal his money.
Having dedicated their lives to serving their country honorably they have a hard time making the transition to thieves. They justify their actions to each other. THe promise of more money than they, or their families, will ever need is enough to cross that line. Once that line is crossed they can’t go back to normal. Things spiral out of control while they struggle to hold on.
Writer/Director J.C. Chandor has a modest resume populated by some serious movies. He partnered with Isaac in 2014’s A Most Violent Year. He wrote and directed 2013’s all is lost, and he also wrote and directed 2011’s Margin Call. Chandor has proven he can handle talent, and deliver tension in his scripts.
Oscar Isaac plays the group’s leader. While Isaac has the ability to carry a movie by himself the script called for a team. Ben Affleck, Pedro Pascal, Charlie Hunnam and Garrett Hedlund fill out the roster.
Triple Frontier is currently streaming on Netflix
Affleck’s first movie released after the news that he will no longer be the Dark Knight Affleck was due a solid script Triple Frontier gave him that and his role as the mission’s brains, Tom Davis.
Pedro Pascal’s career really took off when he played the Red Viper on Game of Thrones. He has shown up in a number of incredible projects since then. He doesn’t have a chance to really stretch his legs in Frontier but delivers a solid performance nonetheless.
Since the movie follows five Special Forces soldiers on a personal mission against a drug empire you know there’s some gunplay coming. The actions scenes are great. The movements, control, and tactics all look incredible. With no experience of my own it may all be Hollywood crap, but the movie really sells it. There’s some great movements as the team gets down to business and the action feels second nature to them.
The script keeps the story moving. No time is wasted in establishing the core team, the villain, or the story. As the characters are introduced we are given the details we need to know about them later in the story without the facts feeling like exposition drops. The villain isn’t fleshed out anymore than needed, which felt kind of lacking at first, but is perfect as the story goes on.
There are a few twists along the way. They won’t exactly bend your mind but they keep the interest way up and the movie delivers more than face value. The straight forward story as advertised would have honestly been enough. The developments and character arcs along the way make it far more interesting.
With solid performances and a solid script, thus far, Triple Frontier is pretty great. As the movie begins to wind down the end comes on a bit too tidy. There is a little too much feeling of having your cake and eating it too. Not only is this not very satisfying but it kinda detracts from some major plot points.
All things considered Triple Frontier is a great watch. The action choreography and gun play are perfectly stated. The acting is very strong, and the cast is unbeatable.