Triple Frontier reviewed.

It is very seldom that you get to see someone as magnanimous as Ben Affleck (I like to call him the Big Ben) in a vulnerable position. This movie is one such instance after Gone Girl. I’d still rate Gone Girl as a more substantial performance than this one. But Triple Frontier has its glorious moments because of a brilliant ensemble cast. The vulnerable and desperate Big Ben (Redfly); The very innate and intense Oscar Isaac (Pope); An affable Garret Hedlund (Miller); Ever charming Charlie Hunnam (Ironhead) and the evergreen Pedro Pascal (Catfish). All Army veterans. All retired. All a little old. All of them WARRIORS.

The plot is pretty simple. Pope and his girlfriend discover an insane amount of cash tranche hidden in the jungles of South America in the custody of a drug kingpin during a standalone job in Mexico. Pope has a plan in mind and he gets the other guys on board. The mission is simple. Go in stealthily. Steal the money. Get out. All smooth. All slick. No questions asked. The routing of money is also taken care of.

The story itself isn’t about the robbery. It’s about what happens after the robbery. The GETTING OUT forms the CRUX of the movie which is shot beautifully by Roman Vasyanov along the beautiful South American terrain. The screenplay is crafted in trademark Mark Boal style (who is writer of films Zero Dark Thirty and The Hurt Locker) and it maintains that eerie cold silence and the resolute features of all the characters. Totally engaging.

Ultimately, it comes down to getting away with the huge loot of hard cash and how things go horribly wrong and totally out of control. Greed forms a big part of this botched up getaway. Light is very subtly thrown on the fact that how veterans struggle with life post retirement when it comes to financial security; something which is very relevant in today’s age.

I loved the movie because not a lot of time is wasted in trivial details and a lot of liberty is taken while showing a lot of scenes. It is clear why this movie went for a NETFLIX release rather than a theatrical one. The big Ben looks jaded and rightly fits the role. Watch out for a solid surprise moment in the film when totally unexpected. The movie turns out to be a terrific set piece of a brilliant ensemble portraying all the human emotions intertwined; greed and desperation; Resolution and strong headedness; happiness and grief. That combined with terrific technical work by the sound and stunt team gives us a fantastic movie. It is just outright solid. The slick gun work. The fantastic cinematography. All of it. Leaves you craving for more.

The climax is so subtly abrupt that it tells us a sequel is definitely on. (A highlight of director J C Chandor) If you haven’t already watched this one, go for it without any breaks. It deserves a straight watch without any breaks.