TRIPLE FRONTIER

US, 2019, 125 minutes, Colour.
Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, Pedro Pascal, Adria Arjona.
Directed by J.C.Chandor.

Triple Frontier is a Netflix film, an action adventure. It also raises moral issues about illegal money, stashes, robberies, killings to save the money.

The film was cowritten by Mark Boal who wrote In the Valley of Elah, and Kathryn Bigelow’s films, Zero Dark Thirty, Hurt Locker, Detroit. The director also contributed to the screenplay – and his films are quite varied, financing Margin Call, Robert Redford at sea in All is Lost, Oscar Isaac in The Most Violent Year.

This is very much a male adventure, opening with a pep talk from Charlie Hunnam for military recruits, followed by an operation in Latin America, a siege, led by Oscar Isaac. It then moves on to a plan for a robbery in Brazil, a drug lord and his remote house, allegedly having a safe, but the group discovering that a vast amount of cash in notes was hidden behind the walls of the house.

Joining Isaac and Hunnam are other experts, Ben Affleck down on his luck after military service as a real estate agent, Garrett Hedlund as a cage fighter, Pedro Pascal as a retired helicopter pilot. They are all recruited for the operation and the film spends quite some time on the actual robbery, the break-in plans, shooting of guards, setting the house on fire. The rest of the film has the journey with the money, becoming evermore burdensome and heavy, their having to let go so much of it – too heavy for a helicopter crossing of the Andes, too heavy for them to carry, using some of the cash to light a fire to warm them in the snow, a crash landing and confrontation with local farmers…

There are some reflections on the plan, the scheme, the aims as well as the violence that has ensued in their escape. There are some moments of redemption at the end in the decision as to what to do with the money – though there is a tongue-in-cheek postscript when Hunnam gives to Isaac the coordinates of where the bulk of the money was discarded.

1. The title? Countries and borders? Action adventure?

2. Locations, Latin America, military action, the robbery, the trek and escape, the Andes, Peru, the coast? Military headquarters and special Ops? The musical score?

3. The prologue, Ironhead and his lecture, morale boosting for the military? The transition to Pope, the helicopter flight, the military moving in, the siege in the town, shooting, explosives, the girl and Pope’s pursuit? His contact with his girlfriend? The information about the house, the money?

4. Pope, his character, his friends and past action? His going to see Tom, giving him the information and the plan, his daughter in the truck? His going to see Ironhead, listening to his talk, offering him the plan? The discussions with Catfish, his skill as a pilot? The group going to see Ben Miller, the cage fight? Their all agreeing to participate?

5. The plan, the detail, the information, the reliance on the young woman and the description of the house interior, film? Passports? The issues of the law, illegal action or not? The military background and its use? The helicopter, their getting into Brazil, going to the house, scouting it out, the information, the family going to church? The guards?

6. The operation, no safe, the realisation that the house itself was a safe, breaking down the walls, the amount of money? Gathering it, bagging it? Too much? The return of the family, being held up by the woman? And the shooting of the guards? Burning the house and the money? The escape? The plane, the contact, bringing the helicopter, Catfish flying it?

7. The moral issues, the money, illegal, robbing it, aims for its use? The beginning of the killings and shootings? The experience in the village, shooting the farmers? The deal with the old farmer, the money, the mules? Seeing the young man in the village, Is Pursuing them and killing Tom?

8. The helicopter flight, the weight, getting over the Andes, leaving a lot of the money, the engine, the crash landing? The confrontation with the locals in the fields, shooting, the suspicions? Getting the mules, carrying the money?

9. The money as a continuing burden, letting it go, the mule and the money over the cliff, the notes scattering in the wind? Burning the money to keep warm? The shootings, the defence, Tom’s death? Carrying his body? Throwing the money into the crevasse? Carrying the rest in their sacks, yet still a lot of money?

10. The attack, the going by foot, in the dark, through the river, the information about the young people waiting for them, military? Their taking the car, the crashes, along the beach?

11. Miller, going to the boat, bringing the launch, the rescue?

12. The portrait of the characters, Pope and his leadership, concerns? Tom, ruthless with the killings? Catfish and his skills, yet becoming more vicious, wanting the others to shoot and kill? Ben Miller, his moods?

13. The money, the final decision, the trust fund for Tom’s family, the giving up? The affectionate farewells?

14. The irony, Ironhead having all the coordinates for where they left the piled money!