Triple Frontier

Bigger Netflix films tend to not always be all that great.

Obviously that's not always the case, but so far this year I've chosen to partake in a horrific dud (that somehow still features some of the year's coolest scenes) as well as a weird, fairly forgettable film despite a glowing cast.

Past examples of the streaming services "high profile" movies don't track all that well - though there are a few that standout. Roma for example is a gorgeous, award-seeking film and while I may not have enjoyed it to the extent of others, it was definitely fine art. 

But for ever Roma there is a Cloverfield Paradox or a Bright with an Outlaw King somewhere in the middle.

Long winded opening point shorter: I never really know how to manage my expectations for Netflix films anymore and I feel like very few have surprised me. 

Perhaps it was my lowered expectations going in, but Triple Frontier was one such of those streaming films that was much better than I'd anticipated and a film I thoroughly enjoyed watching, even if it didn't have that distinctly unique element to make it stand out. 

Triple Frontier boasts one of the most impressive casts of a Netflix film yet with Oscar Isaac, Ben Affleck, Charlie Hunnam, Pedro Pascal, and Garrett Hedlund (still waiting on Tron 3, Disney!). The story is straight forward and kind of an example of "everything goes wrong", but never gets to an exhaustive state. These men, who served their country and made sacrifices at one point, are brought back out of retirement by their friend (Isaac) who wants to complete one last job where they "use their skills for their own well being". The film never spends much time dwelling on the PTSD of war and the mark it leaves on aged soldiers - or at least not as much as I thought it would. It moves along briskly without it, but I think it's an area so briefly hinted at during several moments that the film would have been fine adding 10-15 minutes to flesh out the things that haunted these men. The story isn't some grand, twisty tale, but rather a typical one about greed, friendship, and blurred lines. 

"You guys seen my robot? It stabbed me in the back and escaped..."

"Some men just want to watch the world burn."
"Ben, that's not your line!"

What elevates this material considerably (and unsurprisingly) is that stellar cast. Hunnam has echoes of his fantastic acting abilities here (think Lost City of Z) while Isaac and Affleck easily hold their own as to be expected. Pascal and Hedlund also do well with Hedlund making out the "worst" - he does fine - but it's each of their abilities to push the material forward in a believable manner that make Triple Frontier watchable and enjoyable. The script is decidedly "military" in terms of being a lot of tactical jargon and cursing, but each one pulls off the lines with appropriate bravado, fear, or anger as needed.

Another area where Triple Frontier elevates itself is on the technical side. Certainly the action is nothing to truly write home about, but there are moments of great stuntwork, even if it feels a little out of place in a "realistic" film such as this. Perhaps most impressive though is the consistently gorgeous cinematography that surprised me considerably. Many frames are pretty to look at, particularly those of the country side when the film goes outdoors. It's scenes like that that make up for the wonky special effects in the very few moments they take place and practical effects aren't used.

This is one of those shorter reviews both because I'm crunched for time and there isn't a whole lot more to say about Triple Frontier than what I put in previous paragraphs. It's an easy recommendation that you can partake in from the comfort of your own couch and the cast basically elevates a "average/good" movie into a "good/great" one. You can do much worse with Netflix Originals, trust me. 

CONS

• Doesn't explore their past as much as it hints that it might. Given the initial focus on PTSD and moving on from war, I think this could have been an interesting angle for the film, even if it added runtime
• Gets a bit derivative by the end
• Would have liked a better original score, per usual
• Pretty awful special effects the few instances they're used

PROS

• Straightforward story that has some punches to deliver and is easy to follow along
• Incredible core cast that elevates the material and feels like a band of brothers, or at least more so than you'd expect. The film earns significant worth with Isaac, Affleck, and Hunnam
• Solid action and stuntwork
• Great, sometimes amazing cinemtography
• Intense, enjoyable, and entertaining. All with a stellar cast. It may not be saying much, but probably one of my favorite Netflix films thus far

Rath's Review Score | 8/10