Movie Review: Triple Frontier

Triple Frontier *** / *****

Directed by: J.C. Chandor.

Written by: Mark Boal & J.C. Chandor.

Starring: Ben Affleck (Tom 'Redfly' Davis), Oscar Isaac (Santiago 'Pope' Garcia), Charlie Hunnam (William 'Ironhead' Miller), Garrett Hedlund (Ben Miller), Pedro Pascal (Francisco 'Catfish' Morales), Adria Arjona (Yovanna), Sheila Vand (Lauren Yates), Reynaldo Gallegos (Gabriel Martin Lorea).

 

In a rather short period of time, J.C. Chandor has established himself as one of the most interesting young directors working in Hollywood – especially in the way in which his films present the moral grey area in complex situations. In his first and third films – Margin Call and A Most Violent Year – he puts on screen people who it would be easy to dislike – traders trying to save their own company at the expense of their investors on the eve of the 2008 financial crisis in Margin Call, or a husband and wife team doing whatever it takes to keep their business together in 1981 New York in A Most Violent Year (in between those films, he made the thrilling All is Lost, with its great silent performance by Robert Redford as a man alone on a sinking boat – which is less morally ambiguous, except, of course, if you consider we have no idea why he’s there in the first place).

 

His latest film – Triple Frontier – too longer than normal for him to make (he made his first three films in the span of four years – and it’s been five years since A Most Violent Year) – and seems to be right up his alley. Triple Frontier is about a group of five men – who were once in an elite military unit together, doing jobs for their country. They are called back together when Pope (Oscar Isaac) sees a chance for them to pull a job for themselves. He knows of a South American drug kingpin who apparently has $75 million in his house – and has a plan where they can break in, take the money, and kill the kingpin – while keeping the loss of life for others to a minimum. He reaches out to the Miller brothers – Ironhead (Charlie Hunnam) and Ben (Garret Hedlund), as well as pilot Catfish (Pedro Pascal) – who all agree to take part, as long as their old military commander, Redfly (Ben Affleck) is in. Redfly has become a husband and father in the years since his military career has ended – and doesn’t really want to get involved. And yet, he’s now getting divorced, he isn’t a particularly successful realtor – and this seems like an easy enough job. So after some humming and haing, he’s in.

 

The screenplay is by Mark Boal – regular collaborator with Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty, Detroit) – and if Chandor seems at home with the moral ambiguity of the project, then Boal is at home with the complex view of American patriotism on display. Still, no matter how good these two are, they cannot figure out a way to make the first 45 minutes or so of Triple Frontier all that interesting. It’s fairly standard “getting the team back together for one last job” stuff for most of that time, and really other than Affleck’s Redfly, none of the rest of the men are all that interesting – although Isaac I think does what he can with Pope. You could easily say something similar about the only major female character in the film – Yovanna (Adria Arjona) – who is Pope’s inside man as it were – who isn’t given much to do except look pretty. You have to wonder if there is a longer movie somewhere that gives her more to do – as well as the drug kingpin himself (played by Reynaldo Gallegos) – who is given even less to do. For most of the setup of Triple Frontier, everything seems to be on autopilot.

 

I will say that the action sequences throughout the film are excellent – Chandor isn’t overdoing the style here, but knows how to direct action sequences. And everything from the robbery on is far more interesting than the lead up – mainly because it becomes an interesting question of just how these five men are going to move millions of dollars over the mountains and to the ocean to get it out of the country – a massive logistical problem, that is complicated by the fact that there was far more money than they anticipated – and their greed means leaving it behind isn’t really an option for them. This leads to the type of scenes you don’t normally see in films like this – and a sense that what Boal and Chandor are basically doing is a remake of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

 

Still, what I think hurts Triple Frontier is the fact that really only Affleck is playing a complex character here – and it should be said that it is some of the best work of Affleck’s career. He may be the greediest – and the most morally compromised – of all this mean, but he’s also the one you understand the most. He acts all business, but there are moments, mostly small ones, after a few things he must do (or at least feels he must do) where you see the toll it’s taking on him – before he moves on. Because he’s got the most screen time, Isaac brings somewhat more to Pope than may have been on the page – but it’s an example of a great actor making the most of a thinly written role.

 

Triple Frontier is still a decent film – it’s a Netflix original, and it isn’t a bad way to spend an evening at home watching a movie. And yet, with all the talent involved, you cannot help but be a little disappointed that it ends up being an average film, rather than a great one. I’m sure Chandor will make another film as good as his first three – or better – but this one feels like a holding pattern as he waits for the next great one to come along.