from Jonathan Klotz
| Updated
Five years ago, Netflix dropped the heist thriller Triple border on duty, and although the film made waves in the first few months of its release, it fell out of the public consciousness. The movie has a generic plot about ex-marines robbing a South American drug lord, but that’s not what makes it really funny.
It’s cast includes Ben Affleck, Pedro Pascal, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund and Oscar Isaac. Triple border good weather.
One last thing
Until it isn’t The Invinciblesit’s an incredible collection of contemporary stars, and in the opening minutes of the film it’s clear that they’ve all got the job done and nailed the tone of men of questionable morals coming together for one last job. The dialogue alternates from quiet contemplation to rapid fire, but it’s full of testosterone even as the plan crumbles around them, setting off a series of events that culminates in a wild car chase through a Peruvian village. Triple border it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it is one of the best looking wheels available Netflix today.
Oscar Isaac, as Pope, takes the lead while Ben Affleck’s Redfly gives him a chance to play loose cannon, the polar opposite of his pedantic character from The accountant. Charlie Hunnam and Garrett Hedlund, as Ironhead and Benny respectively, don’t have the same experience as their counterparts, both at one point poised to be Hollywood’s next big action star, which makes Triple border their most successful film in years.
Finally, there’s Pedro Pascal, who seems to be everywhere these days, as Catfish. He is the pilot of the unit and gets some great moments, but if this was filmed afterwards The Mandalorian and The last of us took off, we all know Pascal will have a lot more work to do.
One of the best originals on Netflix
Although the cast does Triple border funnily enough, it’s still a Netflix original, which means it has that slightly off-putting sheen of their own productions. The colors look rich and with the exception of the jungle green, are mostly shades of brown and beige, which fits the style of the streamer’s house and is done on purpose for technical reasons, but will make you wish this was a bigger production.
Director and writer, JC Chandor, keeps the pace up, maintaining a tight focus compared to, say, Netflix Red noticee. Once you watch the film, you’ll understand why Sony chose him to direct Kraven the Hunter.
Triple border The status of a truly great B-movie is confirmed by critics with a 71 percent new rating, while audiences were harsher with a 58 percent rating. I can see why the audience score is lower; there is a twist and it takes the back half of the film in a different direction. That said, I for one appreciated what Chandor did because it subverted my expectations, but don’t worry; there’s still plenty of action in the final third.
Triple Frontier was a hit for Netflix
When it debuted in 2019, Triple border racked up over 52 million views in its first month on Netflix. That might not seem like much given the post-Covid streaming explosion, but it was enough to consider the film a success.
Since then, all the leads have been more successful with Isaac joining the MCU Moon KnightPascal saves Star Wars with The MandalorianAffleck gets The accountant 2 in production, with Hunnam remaining at Netflix Rebel Moonuntil Hedlun joined Sylvester Stallone on Tulsa King. If you’ve never imagined seeing them together as ex-Delta Force members robbing a drug lord, this is well worth your time and a perfect lazy afternoon watch.
