Ben Affleck and co loot the South American most influential drug lord in the adrenaline-drenching action thriller Triple Frontier.
In Triple Frontier, which literally refers to the area where the borders of Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina converge (so you can guess the winding routes these guys had to take), The Justice League and Batman V Superman actor was joined by the foursome team of ex-soldiers starred by Charlie Hunnam, Garett Hedlund, Pedro Pascal, and Oscar Issac. Struggling to find satisfaction in the unfulfilling civilian lives after the peak of their career in the Special Forces, the crew reunited on a mission to take down influential drug lord Gabriel Martin Lorea to steal his massive fortune, resulting in the alliance being tested in a series of major and life-threatening challenges.
Prior to the film worldwide premiere on Netflix today (13 March), Time Out Bangkok got to catch up with some of Triple Frontier’s lead stars, Ben Affleck, Charlie Hunnam and Garett Hedlund, as well as the producer Chuck Roven, at the press conference at Marina Bay Sand in Singapore. They also gave us insights why this action film should be on your binge-watching list.
Triple Frontier breaks through conventional military film genre.
The storyline that follows the journey of five ex-military men taking down and robbing a drug gang typically entails the massive amalgamation of testosterone (think fire gunshots, military actions and intense fighting scenes). However, Triple Frontier—as Chuck Roven says—“takes the genre and turns it on its head”. While most military films usually focus on the narratives of men who are still in combat, the guys in Triple Frontier were in the military and had already passed their prime as Special Forces soldiers. “They actually had to make decisions where they had to take that skills where they hadn’t used for years and used them for their own benefits”.
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Triple Frontier is not just another drug-related feature
While Hollywood’s obsession with Latino drug lords has resulted in countless films and TV series like Narcos, Sicario, and Queen of the South, Triple Frontier is benefitted from the screenplay that explores and puts emphasis on the internal conflict between the five former Special Forces members. With Mark Boal (who has built his fame from masterpieces like Oscar-winning The Hurt Locker) collaborating in the screenwriting, the narrative touches on psychological struggles of the ex-soldiers whose lives were at the pinnacle of the career and depended on strict code of honors and duties, and ended up finding themselves in situation that tests their temptation.
Ben Affleck, who portrays Tom Davis (the real-estate broker who struggles to make ends meet), agrees the conflict is related to the midlife crisis we all face in life. “They have done 20 years of dedicated lives for one goal and become excellent at it … You can imagine you’re at the best where you can possibly be and one day it’s all over.”
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Triple Frontier beautifully portrays male companionship and camaraderie
Rather than hierarchical, plot-focused storyline typical in military genre films, Triple Frontier gives viewers a close insight into the importance of brotherhood and camaraderie that the Special Forces take to their heart and is translated into strong chemistry between the five men, who represent themselves as a unit with inter-reliance on responsibilities for one another’s lives rather than one person standing out as a hero.
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Triple Frontier takes us on a two-hour ride into breathtaking landscapes
The five men’s journey toward the geographical Triple Frontier was portrayed through three amazing filming locations: Oahu in Hawaii, Mammoth Lakes in California and Bogota in Colombia, which are elevated by beautiful cinematography.
Triple Frontier is now available to stream on Netflix worldwide.