Triple Frontier (2019)
After a nearly five-year hiatus from writing and directing films (with the exception of his untimely departure from Deepwater Horizon) , J.C. Chandor re-emerges with Triple Frontier (not the best title, taking its name from, according to WIkipedia, “the tri-border area along the junction of Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil, where the Iguazú and Paraná rivers converge”), in which five ex-military special ops soldiers reunite in order to stage a heist of a murderous major South American drug lord. Oscar Isaac is the de facto leader of the quintet, playing Santiago, who decides to “get the band back together” for one last mission for reconnaissance for the government to take down the elusive drug lord he’s spent years trying to take down, Lorea, but changes the mission once he discovers that they could do the bust themselves, take out the human vermin the world is better off without, and score the millions of dollars in cash within his jungle-hidden, well-guarded mansion. Each of the men find that their service for the country hasn’t exactly resulted in the country taking care of them financially, so they figure they should get what’s fair for their years of sacrifice, making it worth their salt to commit to.
Unlike his prior efforts, Chandor came to an already-formed idea, passed to him from Tom Hanks, who was attached but considered himself too old to play any of the parts. Triple Frontier was originally written by former journalist Mark Boal, the Oscar-winning screenwriter who also wrote and produced the ensemble pieces like The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty, and Detroit for director Kathryn Bigelow. However, Bigelow was busy with another project, so Chandor came in to direct, and would also receive a writing credit after revising the Boal script (about 40 revisions over time), while Boal and Bigelow signed on as executive producers. As with Chandor’s prior films, the plot-line hinges on people with good intentions who end up making a mistake and then digging themselves further into the hole the more they try to get out of their self-made predicament. The intrigue comes in trying to see if they can emerge out of it, and how much they have to sacrifice of themselves – physically, financially, or spiritually – in order to see the light of a peaceful day again, should they be so lucky.
Originally cultivated for Paramount, who sold it off when they started dumping projects due to their financial difficulties, and due to the trend away from mid-range budgeted movies given wide release for theaters, it would end up getting picked up by Netflix for their streaming platform. The film boasts a solid cast of actors, great locale work, and very impressive technical specs, including solid cinematography from David Ayer-favorite Roman Vasyanov, definitely making it feel like a film that could have benefited from a big-screen release. The bells and whistles are there, and while the film primarily exists as an adventure/survival actioner that is as flashy as it is familiar, made even more so by its pedestrian effort at song selections (CCR’s “Run Through the Jungle” needs to be put in the penalty box, at this rate), it’s in the portrayals of the veterans as feeling swept aside by the society they once protected that marks a fresher and more sympathetic approach that the film could use more of.
However, where Triple Frontier is memorable is in the casting of the leads, with Oscar Isaac back working with Chandor after their terrific synergy with A Most Violent Year (to which the film gives a nod by having one of the characters wear a Standard Oil cap). Ben Affleck is a delightful surprise in a darker and more seasoned role than he’s usually afforded, playing Tom ‘Redfly’ Davis, a single father who has been doing well in life because of some bad decisions, though he is giving it his all. He doesn’t have much to show for his life, but what he does show, he values greatly, and he’s the hardest to get to join on board because he doesn’t want to lose again. Hunnam and Hedlund, playing brothers both in arms and by blood, offer some nice character-based machismo in support, giving them more nuanced roles than they typically take. Pedro Pascal also is a welcome addition in breaking up that machismo with a more thoughtful and troubled portrayal of a helicopter pilot with a checkered past that he’s struggling to see his way out of.
Some viewers will see the parallels to how greed sometimes screws up even the best intentions. In this way, there are moments where the plot-line appears to follow The Treasure of the Sierra Madre in its execution, or The Wages of Fear to another extent. You get the sense here, though, that the heist mission is more than just about the money for these guys; they feel alive again getting into the thick of the action and doing a mission, with the camaraderie they’ve cultivated, though the stakes are still high even if they make a mistake, given they are stealing from lots of unsavory types who could hunt them down for revenge if they ever trace their whereabouts. It’s also an ego thing, showing they still have the mettle to succeed with pulling off their mission, proving something to themselves during a time when they feel useless doing just about anything else.
Perhaps it’s a smart move to go to Netflix for those involved. This film likely wouldn’t have been a box office bonanza, and the performances, writing, and direction, while solid, aren’t going to gain critical accolades down the road. However, it is well-made enough, and has enough action and wrinkles of interest to make for more than just an adequate diversion for those looking for something to take in on their home screens, though I would encourage those who do partake to watch this on as big a screen as possible with a good sound system, and not pumped through their cell phone — it’s cinema-worthy in every respect. It’s not Chandor’s best by any stretch, as it could have used a more assured sense of style and suspense, but as a way to flex his muscles getting back into film-making after a half-decade mostly gone, it’s a welcome re-emergence.
Qwipster’s rating: B+
MPAA Rated: R for violence and language throughout
Running time: 125 min.
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Ben Affleck, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, Pedro Pascal, Adria Arjona
Director: J.C. Chandor
Screenplay: Mark Boal, J.C. Chandor