When it comes to contemporary filmmakers, few seem to recognize the disturbing, hypnotic influence of money quite like J.C. Chandor. Whether it's stock brokers or heating oil barons, Chandor is acutely aware of the corrupting influence of money, its capacity to spark greed, foster hostility, and lead to great suffering. Without missing a beat, the director picks up right where he left off with Triple Frontier, a Netflix heist movie that is clearly a cut above your average entry into the genre. It's the rare heist film where money is a curse, not a goal; it's something that weighs down these men, both literally and figuratively, haunting their respective psyches as they push for better lives for their families. When you're faced with almost a billion dollars in drug money from a man who has destroyed a country, it's easy to get greedy. But when people start getting hurt, that's a different scenario altogether.
Co-written by Mark Boal of Zero Dark Thirty and Hurt Locker fame, it's not exactly surprising that Triple Frontier is loaded with such a significant socio-political consciousness. This is a film where moral quandaries pile up by the minute, eventually turning everything we thought we knew on its head. The basic setup starts with Santiago "Pope" Garcia (Oscar Isaac), a special operative for the American government who has spent years hunting South American drug lord Gabriel Martin Lorea (Rey Gallegos) to no avail. Lorea has destroyed the local economy, and Pope wants nothing more than to take him down for good.
But when he receives a tip from local informant/love interest Yovanna (Adria Arjona), who learned that Lorea is hidden away in a fortress in the jungle with his fortune, a new idea quickly finds its way into Pope's brain. With the help of his old special ops buddies, the savvy expert is planning to kill Lorea, rob him of his entire fortune, and escape quietly from the country and from his life as an American operative. To do this, he'll need a team of four additional men-- brothers William and Ben Miller (Charlie Hunnam and Garrett Hedlund, who look like they could be related in real life) and "Catfish" Morales (Pedro Pascal) all agree to do the job, but only if "Redfly" Davis (Ben Affleck) joins the party too. Okay, so I know all of these dudes have absolutely ridiculous names that are never rationalized or explained, but they also, initially, seem like decent guys. They fought for their country, received nothing but pain and misery in return, and now they're facing down college payments and debt-- so what's next?
Desperate to pay for college for his daughter, Redfly agrees to Pope's risky proposal, traveling to the jungle with his former crew to rob from the most powerful drug lord on the planet. It's a dangerous mission, but after some careful planning and meticulous execution, Pope and his brothers in arms pull off the heist. Contrary to what you might think, this is not a spoiler-- it happens right at the tipping point of the film. It's what happens after their daring mission that makes the film a bit more complex than your run-of-the-mill popcorn flick.
(*Mild spoilers below, if you care about that sort of thing*)
Even as he moves firmly into blockbuster territory, Chandor demonstrates an exceptionally rare willingness to move between the mode of the testosterone-fueled action film and a more subdued kind of morality play. The first half of the film finds Chandor and cinematographer Roman Vasyanov (a frequent collaborator of director David Ayer) operating with clinical efficiency and skill, setting up a kind of moral righteousness on behalf of its protagonists that establishes a very specific blend of pure entertainment and political messaging. It's a film as intense and laser focused as Pope and Redfly themselves, with Chandor executing some of the most thrilling and invigorating action sequences of 2019 thus far. And perhaps most remarkably, it echoes the hugely popular strain of macho war movies without devolving into Berg/Wahlberg propaganda, instead finding room to aim its criticisms at American values, the VA, and an endless cycle of violence encouraged by this system.
But as the body count piles up and the purported heroes threaten their own values in beliefs in the pursuit of more cash, Triple Frontier begins to question the real virtues of its heroes. I wouldn't necessarily say that Chandor and Boal vilify Pope and his crew, but there's a point where the avarice begins to outweigh any value system that existed in the first place. At this interesting juncture, Chandor switches from blockbuster fun to something more grim, moving from a kind of pointed fury at institutions to an implication of every character (and the audience) in the deadly serious events that follow. It's a switch that will unquestionably throw off every viewer, especially as this splashy and deliriously thrilling heist film becomes a rough and brutal portrait of survival and terror.
Somewhat disappointingly, Triple Frontier doesn't quite go far enough as a cautionary tale, serving a harsh punishment for one character and vaguely letting everyone else off the hook. Obsession and greed will kill, but who gets to walk away unscathed? It almost feels like Chandor was afraid of going too far and further alienating his audience, but I imagine there will continue to be a vibrant discussion of whether the ultimate ending is a cop out or not. Regardless of these final bumps in the road, Triple Frontier is a strong and consistently enjoyable thriller; it's thoughtful when it needs to be, while never fully sacrificing its own clinical accuracy. And as a showcase for the combined talents of Oscar Isaac and Ben Affleck, Chandor's first blockbuster foray is nearly a bulls-eye.
THE FINAL GRADE: B+ (8/10)
Images courtesy of Netflix
Co-written by Mark Boal of Zero Dark Thirty and Hurt Locker fame, it's not exactly surprising that Triple Frontier is loaded with such a significant socio-political consciousness. This is a film where moral quandaries pile up by the minute, eventually turning everything we thought we knew on its head. The basic setup starts with Santiago "Pope" Garcia (Oscar Isaac), a special operative for the American government who has spent years hunting South American drug lord Gabriel Martin Lorea (Rey Gallegos) to no avail. Lorea has destroyed the local economy, and Pope wants nothing more than to take him down for good.
But when he receives a tip from local informant/love interest Yovanna (Adria Arjona), who learned that Lorea is hidden away in a fortress in the jungle with his fortune, a new idea quickly finds its way into Pope's brain. With the help of his old special ops buddies, the savvy expert is planning to kill Lorea, rob him of his entire fortune, and escape quietly from the country and from his life as an American operative. To do this, he'll need a team of four additional men-- brothers William and Ben Miller (Charlie Hunnam and Garrett Hedlund, who look like they could be related in real life) and "Catfish" Morales (Pedro Pascal) all agree to do the job, but only if "Redfly" Davis (Ben Affleck) joins the party too. Okay, so I know all of these dudes have absolutely ridiculous names that are never rationalized or explained, but they also, initially, seem like decent guys. They fought for their country, received nothing but pain and misery in return, and now they're facing down college payments and debt-- so what's next?
Desperate to pay for college for his daughter, Redfly agrees to Pope's risky proposal, traveling to the jungle with his former crew to rob from the most powerful drug lord on the planet. It's a dangerous mission, but after some careful planning and meticulous execution, Pope and his brothers in arms pull off the heist. Contrary to what you might think, this is not a spoiler-- it happens right at the tipping point of the film. It's what happens after their daring mission that makes the film a bit more complex than your run-of-the-mill popcorn flick.
(*Mild spoilers below, if you care about that sort of thing*)
Even as he moves firmly into blockbuster territory, Chandor demonstrates an exceptionally rare willingness to move between the mode of the testosterone-fueled action film and a more subdued kind of morality play. The first half of the film finds Chandor and cinematographer Roman Vasyanov (a frequent collaborator of director David Ayer) operating with clinical efficiency and skill, setting up a kind of moral righteousness on behalf of its protagonists that establishes a very specific blend of pure entertainment and political messaging. It's a film as intense and laser focused as Pope and Redfly themselves, with Chandor executing some of the most thrilling and invigorating action sequences of 2019 thus far. And perhaps most remarkably, it echoes the hugely popular strain of macho war movies without devolving into Berg/Wahlberg propaganda, instead finding room to aim its criticisms at American values, the VA, and an endless cycle of violence encouraged by this system.
But as the body count piles up and the purported heroes threaten their own values in beliefs in the pursuit of more cash, Triple Frontier begins to question the real virtues of its heroes. I wouldn't necessarily say that Chandor and Boal vilify Pope and his crew, but there's a point where the avarice begins to outweigh any value system that existed in the first place. At this interesting juncture, Chandor switches from blockbuster fun to something more grim, moving from a kind of pointed fury at institutions to an implication of every character (and the audience) in the deadly serious events that follow. It's a switch that will unquestionably throw off every viewer, especially as this splashy and deliriously thrilling heist film becomes a rough and brutal portrait of survival and terror.
Somewhat disappointingly, Triple Frontier doesn't quite go far enough as a cautionary tale, serving a harsh punishment for one character and vaguely letting everyone else off the hook. Obsession and greed will kill, but who gets to walk away unscathed? It almost feels like Chandor was afraid of going too far and further alienating his audience, but I imagine there will continue to be a vibrant discussion of whether the ultimate ending is a cop out or not. Regardless of these final bumps in the road, Triple Frontier is a strong and consistently enjoyable thriller; it's thoughtful when it needs to be, while never fully sacrificing its own clinical accuracy. And as a showcase for the combined talents of Oscar Isaac and Ben Affleck, Chandor's first blockbuster foray is nearly a bulls-eye.
THE FINAL GRADE: B+ (8/10)
Images courtesy of Netflix
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