3/19/19 - Triple Frontier (2019) - 5/10

A perfectly serviceable but unadorned flick about service-members & soldiers who go rogue for the payday they deserve, but nothing ever goes as smooth as is planned. It is hard to know what to make of the Netflix production, seemingly well equipped and prepped for success (big time actors, big time backers & producers, and a soundtrack worth a pretty penny), but dumped on their platform with zero prestige. Maybe more vim and vigor in their promoting might have generated more excitement for the film to capitalize on…or maybe it would have brought expectations that the film would have missed, dragging it down. Who is to say? For me, the end result was a perfectly fine, somewhat enjoyable and competently made war-related film. I can’t see it moving anyone’s needle too far one way or the other, but it was a decent watch.

Certainly relevant for anyone who might be interested in this film: it is light on the action, relative to what kind of movie it pals around with. This is not a Tony Scott thrill ride or generic Wahlbergian/Gerardian gunfight blowout. This is a Mark Boal (In the Valley of Elah, Zero Dark Thirty and Hurt Locker) and JC Chandor (A Most Violent Year, Margin Call, All is Lost) feature, which lets the lightened “military might” make sense, striving for authentic experiences and drama, rather than a shoot-em-up adrenaline feature. It had enough action intrigue to keep the movie pumping along, but I appreciated the personal stories pushing though. Down on their luck veterans from across walks of life with legitimate interpersonal dramas driving the plot, but rarely played for cheap pops & quick contrivances.

There is little that this one does wrong really. It just lacks that next gear to jump into the fast lane. The actors (Affleck, Isaac, Hunnam, Hedlund, and Pascal) do solid jobs, squeezing what they can from what is provided. Their adventure is compelling, as are many of their driving story lines. I was pleased with consequences and avoiding pulling punches, but it just never got over that “this is pretty darn good” speed-bump, stalling a bit on its way up that hill, despite a satisfactory ride.