Netflix might be the closest thing we have to magic right now. We pay the same price every month yet they randomly come out with even more content for us to watch! Maybe I’m easily impressed but I find this to have a near magical quality. Now the question is, does Triple Frontier have that same magical “movie going” experience? Here is my breakdown on what worked and what didn’t for Netflix’s latest movie drop.
What Worked
Theme: I’m not and never will be a soldier, but I connected to the theme of the movie from the first moment we are introduced with their reasoning for the heist. I won’t say much more because I’d rather you get the full effect with them but I wanted to mention the theme first as it is the best thing the movie has going for it.
Setting: I’m also not a big traveler. I’ve been out of the United States once (does going to Canada really count that much as leaving the country?). Thus, I see a lot of the world through the big screen. The places they go to make up the ‘triple frontier’ look beautiful and it is clear they had a focus on cinematography when they set out to shoot this.
Acting: They do a really odd thing here where they name Oscar Issac’s character Pope. This is only one letter away from his name in the Star Wars series so I have to believe that was an intentional wink. That being said, Oscar Issac fully wraps up in this character and quiets the voice in the back of your mind that can sometimes pester you when you watch a highly recognizable actor in a different role. Furthermore, Ben Affleck is able to do the same thing. These five guys feel real and their former lives as soldiers feel real as well. Having you buy into them is crucial to making you connect to their purpose and motivations.
What Didn’t Work
Action: If I can adjust your expectations from the start, you’ll like this even more than I did. Everything from the trailer to the movie poster signaled a gritty action movie. Everyone I watched this with was excited to see a shot em up war movie, but the movie just doesn’t deliver that in the slightest. Expectations for a movie are everything and that really hurt my enjoyment of this one.
Ending: The conclusion of this is devoid of the big action scenes that we have come to expect for our movie’s crescendo. This is probably my own fault and a result of my Marvel brain washing. However, I found myself disappointed as the credits began to roll. That being said, I liked the characters enough that I would be willing to watch Quadruple Frontier in the event they come with a sequel.
“Should I Watch This?”
If you read movie reviews, this is the number one question you are seeking to answer so below are a few “if than” statements to further assist in that decision making process.
- You’ll like this if, you like heist movies where it is more about the running than it is the fighting.
- You’ll like this if, you like movies about brotherly love between friends/soldiers.
- You’ll like this if, you need a movie with a bit of edge to its tone and darkness to its theme.
In conclusion, I had a fine enough time. After all, this is a movie on Netflix so you already have it if you have the service. If you don’t feel compelled enough to watch it now, add it to your list through the app and it will be waiting on a rainy Tuesday night when you need a movie to settle down with.