Triple Frontier - NETFLIX Original - Review

Triple Frontier

NETFLIX Original

Actors Ben Affleck and Oscar Isaac star in the NETLIX Original film called “Triple Frontier”. It’s an expression that refers to the border area where Argentina and Brazil and Paraguay all meet and is also an active South American center for contraband and drug trafficking and money laundering as well as a suspected locale for Islamic extremist groups. And such is the case of the premise and plot for this film where we see a collection of former US Special Forces operatives reunite to plan a heist in a sparsely populated multi-border zone of South America. For the first time in their prestigious careers, these unsung heroes undertake this dangerous mission for themselves instead of the country. But when events take an unexpected turn and threaten to spiral out of control, their skills, their loyalties, and their morals are pushed to a breaking point in an epic battle for survival.

REVIEW:  The old Hollywood adage goes something like this  …………….”Imitation is the highest form of flattery”. So with that in mind since the debut of the highly acclaimed “Sicario” hit the big screen in 2015, I had very little doubt directors and screenwriters would be chasing it’s clever noir in the moment action thrilling story line with their own brand of new plot ideas about powerful, murderous and menacing drug cartels operating beyond our southern borders.

And such is the case with this NETFLIX Original “Triple Frontier”. In the very first scene you will see almost identical the same sequencing of helicopters hovering about over some small Mexican town, black SUVS moving with great urgency in fast tandem to each other on narrow streets and mask wearing “Poloicia” escorts riding in and back of dark blue trucks with their assault weapons clearly in hand. Cleary, Director J. C. Chandor (formerly of “All is Lost”) wanted to capture that same dramatic in your face – fly on the wall magic of “Sicario” including some early appropriate and minimum use of displays of fire power to draw the viewer in to asking “what will happen next”.

But even with a reasonably good opening the rest of the story still manages to go a little flat as we watch the five well intended down on their luck skilled operatives go through the paces of initially having “family “ reservations about the dangerous mission to eventually being down right childlike giddy about  the prospects of ripping off  the drug cartel for hundreds of millions of dollars ……”Whaaaa, no problem – piece of cake”.  

While I like the vivid visual look and the “in the moment” action scenes, overall it does not have anywhere as much of the depth and intrigue of “Sicario”. Most of the characters out side of Affleck and Isaac are thinly developed and not worth remembering.

Still, if you like men moving cool through rainy jungle foliage with their guns, executing when needed some rather clever shoot outs under stressful conditions and managing to keep improvising of how they are going to sneak $400 Million out of Medellin drug cartel territory without anyone seeing them do it,  then “triple Frontier” might be worth a look.

3.00 Stars