TRIPLE FRONTIER: An Uneven Crime Thriller Bolstered By An Excellent Cast

It is admittedly difficult to place Triple Frontier after just watching the trailer. Is this going to be a gritty war film? A heist movie? A buddy comedy? Fuel for action junkies? Well, after watching it, I can confirm that it’s actually all of the above, and yes, it’s often as disorderly as that sounds.

Unevenness aside, though, there’s a lot of fun to be had here. And with Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Pedro Pascal, and Garrett Hedlund all along for the ride, there’s even more of a reason to take the journey.

Bringing the Band Back Together

Santiago “Pope” Garcia (Oscar Isaac) is an American soldier, outfitted in Brazil to help stop a drug war. While there, he communicates with an informant named Yovanna (Adria Arjona), who informs him of the whereabouts of Lorea, a major drug lord. In exchange for her own safety, she informs Pope that if they attack Lorea’s compound at a certain time of day, his guards will be limited, and access to millions of dollars should be available.

To prepare for the mission, Pope heads back home and seeks out his old military buddies for their assistance. They are Tom “Redfly” Davis (Ben Affleck), William “Ironhead” Miller (Charlie Hunnam), Ben Miller (Garrett Hedlund), and Francisco “Catfish” Morales (Pedro Pascal). Though they are mostly reluctant at first, especially Tom, eventually they all agree to accompany Pope on the heist, almost entirely due to what they believe is their own under-appreciation for their past work as a soldier.

The pieces are there, and they are admittedly familiar; for example, a film like Ocean’s Eleven or even something more comedic like The World’s End may come to mind. There are actually several buddy elements to Triple Frontier, such as the dialogue between our five leads, which has a familiarity to it that only characters who have been through war together could possess. In addition, all five actors seem to be having fun with their respective roles, even if J.C. Chandor and Mark Boal‘s screenplay doesn’t include quite enough banter for them to play off of each other.

Hunnam especially does his best to step somewhat outside his charismatic handsome persona, imbuing his character with a strong humanity, a feat he did not get as close to achieving in last year’s Papillon remake. Hedlund does his best with a more limited role, and Pescal is always a pleasant sight to see, yet it’s Isaac and Affleck‘s dual leading personas that standout the most, with the two bringing strong performances to a film that often does try to stretch too far outside of its playing field.

Multiple Genres

It’s here that Chandor’s direction sometimes falters. In addition to action-infused heist thrillers, Triple Frontier also attempts to more recognizably resemble a film like Sicario, with central characters, who though seemingly with good intentions, head into a war zone more for their own personal benefit than for the good of others. Just as with Sicario, the film attempts to show the darkness of the human psyché, and the choices that people sometimes make when they are pushed too far.

Yet, Chandor‘s film doesn’t have nearly the same nuances or profundity to it as Villenueve‘s. An example is the score by Disasterpiece, which does much to set the film’s tone during some tense moments using low humming ambient sounds, but then the soundtrack just as often cuts through tension at other moments with high-volume, predictably-selected Pop hits, such as Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” or Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Run Through the Jungle.” The two tones often offset each other, leading to a decidedly mixed outcome.

Chandor admirably attempts to make Triple Frontier into something more than just Ocean’s Eleven in the jungle, especially during a scene taking place on a farm and in the film’s final moments, yet one can’t help but feel that it comes up short, with a conclusion that doesn’t exactly fit what came before it. The film as a whole is not as tight as his past A Most Violent Year (also starring Isaac), or as inventive as the Robert Redford-starring All is Lost. It’s still not uneven enough to cause it to unravel, but the unavoidable takeaway is that, with a little more tweaking, the final result could potentially have been much more realized than it is.

Yet, There is Fun to be Had

Thankfully, there’s still plenty to be praised about Triple Frontier, especially in regards to its action. The film’s title refers to the three principal set-pieces that are presented throughout. The first takes place in the drug compound described above, while from there, the team progresses to the air and on foot across a mountain, and finally (because, of course), concluding in a car chase.

Each has their moment, and each, the second especially, display the wide-spanning, gorgeously-presented landscapes by director of photography Roman Vasyanov. The action is also shot cleanly, with not too much overuse of shaky cam, which lately seems like the only way filmmakers know how to shoot action. There are some crisp one-shot takes here instead, such as within the first major set-piece, which as a whole possesses a palpable tenseness to it before giving way to a pulse-pounding shootout, easily making it the highlight of the film’s action scenes.

Triple Frontier: Conclusion

To conclude, J.C. Chandor‘s Triple Frontier is a perfectly fine watch. The film’s attempts at multiple genres may not blend together into a seamless whole, yet the talented cast and strong direction by Chandor help to raise it above its flaws. There are worse ways to spend a couple hours.

What are your thoughts on Triple Frontier? Are you a fan of heist films?