A Pedro Pascal & Ben Affleck Movie You May Have Missed Is Seeing A Resurgence On Netflix
Have you seen "Triple Frontier"? In case you haven't watched this action-adventure on Netflix yet, now is the time! Released in 2019, "Triple Frontier" received mostly positive reviews from critics, who deemed it special enough to stand out in the oversaturated heist/thriller genre, despite sporting an uneven tone. So, why is this film suddenly making a resurgence 4 years later? This might have to do with the fact that the film stars the likes of Pedro Pascal, Ben Affleck, and Oscar Isaac — with anticipation surrounding Pascal's return in shows like "The Mandalorian" and "The Last of Us," coupled with the announcement that he's in the run to play Reed Richards in the upcoming "Fantastic Four." "Triple Frontier" has recently found a place in Netflix's Global Top 10 list.
"Triple Frontier" didn't quite get much attention when it was released in 2019, but there's good reason that audiences are revisiting the film due to the pure entertainment quotient it has to offer. Directed by J. C. Chandor (who is helming the upcoming "Kraven the Hunter"), "Triple Frontier" also stars Charlie Hunnam and Garret Hedlund, and follows a group of former U.S. Army Delta Force operators who get together to pull off a heist that is both thrilling and dangerous. The film's spot among the Global Top 10 list for the platform seems like a bit of an anomaly, as most entries are holiday movies of various varieties, such as "Best. Christmas. Ever!" and "The Christmas Chronicles," to name a few.
A good ol' time
The catalyst for the heist in the film is an informant named Yovanna (Adria Arjona), who asks military advisor Pope Garcia (Isaac) for help to smuggle her and her brother out of Columbia. In exchange, she offers valuable intel about drug lord Gabriel Martin Lorea, who has $75 million in cash hidden in his remote mansion in the forest, where he is also camping out. This prompts Pope to gather a group of ex-Delta Force operators for the operation, who plan to keep the money for themselves under the pretext of a government-sanctioned mission. However, once the group reaches the location, things turn out to be more complicated than they had anticipated, as fissures start forming between the operators, who all want the cash for themselves.
What sets "Triple Frontier" apart is its ability to subvert expectations at every turn, as the narrative does not stick to the cut-and-dry format of a conventional heist movie. Some sequences mimic the usual tenets of the heist genre: there's an epic break-in scene followed by the collective realization that the cash is hidden more covertly than they expected, and people ambush each other out of the blue to pursue their ulterior motives. However, halfway through, there are glimpses of a gritty drug drama due to the involvement of the Columbian cartel, and things end with a tense chase sequence that edges toward the territory of a survival thriller.
Beneath all the slick action and break-in montages lies sincere themes about greed, violence, and warfare — however, none of these aspects feel heavy-handed at any point, as "Triple Frontier" succeeds at being a crowdpleaser while tackling something a bit more complex.
"Triple Frontier" is currently streaming on Netflix.