Triple Frontier tells the story of 5 former special forces operatives who team up for one last mission, and attempt to steal $75 million from a drug lord hidden in the Colombian jungle.  Directed by J.C. Chandor (A Most Violent Year), the film features a strong ensemble cast including Ben Affleck (Argo), Oscar Isaac (Ex Machina), Charlie Hunnam (Pacific Rim), Garrett Hedlund (TRON: Legacy), and Pedro Pascal (Kingsman: The Golden Circle).  Triple Frontier is rated R.

If you had the chance to make more money than most people will in a lifetime, what limits would you be willing to exceed?  What wrongs would you be willing to justify?  Now, say you have the chance to steal $75 million from a drug lord, all you have to do is infiltrate his safehouse, subdue the armed guards, and carry hundreds of pounds of cash through the jungle to the Colombian coast.  For this mercenary team of former special operatives, it’s just another day at the office, even without the backing of the United States.

If only it were that simple.  While Triple Frontier begins with the kind of lighthearted setup typical of slick heist films, the mission can only go down from there.  The film starts with a bang, dropping “Pope” (Oscar Isaac), into the middle of a drug war in the streets of a Colombian city.  After an intense opening sequence, the pace slows down considerably to allow for the seemingly necessary (yet overdone) assembly of the old gang for one last ride.  Aside from Ben Affleck's character, Redfly, the characters themselves are bland and vanilla; all of whom represent stock action heroes seen a multitude over.

For all my chagrin at the abundance of stereotypes throughout the disposition, the film, to its credit, followed up with a second and third act aimed at distorting classic action tropes.  As their original plan begins to crumble, the characters must adapt on the fly, resulting in various objective changes throughout the process.  What begins as a testosterone-filled action flick veers into something more intent on examining the canker of greed that exists within humanity.  As a writer and director, J.C. Chandor is uninterested in glorifying the violence depicted, or propping up the protagonists as righteous crusaders.  The action is well-executed, but does not play an overly significant role in the story.  Gunfights, which often cease as quickly as they begin, incorporate a sense of finality as characters are held accountable for their decisions made in the heat of the moment.

On a basic level, Triple Frontier works as an entertaining piece of action storytelling.  Aside from the genre introspection, it succeeds as a gripping and exciting film, which makes the most of its production value.  The mountains and jungles of South America are captured as vibrant backdrops to the story, and the entire film feels authentic.  While the story never quite reaches a hectic pace, it reliably keeps the tension and intrigue present throughout.

Ultimately, Triple Frontier has too much of a problem hurdling various cliches to be considered a great film, but it is thoughtful and captivating nonetheless.  The talented cast all work well together to create a strong sense of camaraderie, and their banter is one of the high points of the film.  This feels like the type of film that is becoming increasing rare of late, but I look forward to seeing if more films can manage to find the same balance of conflict and thoughtfulness.

Reel Rating: ⭐⭐⭐½

Triple Frontier is now streaming on Netflix.