By: Keaton Marcus

DISCLAIMER: IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 15, YOU MUST ASK YOUR PARENTS IF YOU ARE ALLOWED, IF THEY SAY NO…IT MEANS NO!

An outstanding cast--and many action sequences join J.C. Chandor's action thriller "Triple Frontier"--the fun set-up generally saves the day against an expectedly generic script, and heist film clichès making the film a thoroughly entertaining product, albeit with very little on the mind. Netflix released their newest film for seven days in the theaters, before releasing it on their mega-popular streaming website--the studio has had many successes this year ("Isn't it Romantic") and last year ("Bird Box")--and they tend to be received on the positive side--(despite a few roadblocks). "Frontier" brings A-listers Ben Affleck and Oscar Isaac, and settle for an enjoyably simple film that could have been much, much better--but people seeking a couple of decent thrills will have a good time.

The usually influential Chandor has clearly lost some effort in "Triple Frontier"--which is an action-fueled thriller good with some candy and a soda Saturday night--may be a decent, and forgettable Netflix stream. You would be expecting much more, considering filmmaker J.C. Chandor's acclaimed career, including the legendary survival pic "All is Lost" starring Robert Redford-- but truly--I was anticipating further development. The film is far from good, and that is generally a courtesy from the "playing-it-safe" script from Mark Boal, which clearly had some tweaks made by Chandor--the family-friendly type.

The action sequences are well-directed, as expected, and really, really fun to watch--elevated by some good music, but the film loses lots of steam towards the end, where there are too many clichès--and its characters clearly lose moral and development--as their once honored patriotism becomes tinted by greed for cash, and really, the only thing they do are kill the bad guys, have a laugh, kill some more bad guys, pick up some money...and well murder some more bad guys--not having any regret for their actions. This is generally okay for a movie of this particular genre, though can't help but be a little disappointing. Still, despite its flaws, director Chandor still has some knack for quality thrills, and action fans are sure to enjoy this standard flick.

The story sets up five-ex military friends Tom, Santiago, William, Ben and Francisco who reunite in order to rob more than 250 million dollars from a drug-lord named Loria--who claims that "his house is the safe", meaning the money is stuck in his walls (really, you really needed that). See, the film is exactly like your paint-by-the-numbers action flick, it breaks no boundaries--and well, is really, really stupid--but the execution is still hysterical to watch. The truly unspectacular film still gives some solid suspense and a couple of great scenes--also the sound and scene editing are top-notch which occasionally help the movie tread through the sticky, sticky plotting.

Santiago also was known as Pope is helmed by talented actor Oscar Isaac, who made his big break in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" back in the year 2015. The character is already previously searching for Loria, and the heist is generally for revenge--in one of the early scenes in the film, you see Santiago fight drug dealers in a night club--the scene is tightly filmed and well directed, getting things off to a good start. Isaac's performance is also particularly strong, even if the script can never really keep up, neither can its storytelling. His role is pivotal and is one of the only characters who really get to do anything, like anything at all. Isaac plays out as a cheeky, tough hunk which borrows off of every other trait conceivable in other caper pics--not that it matters to such a bad-ass role. Truly, the lead performance never reaches the height that it should, but it really never needs to--Isaac is strong as Santiago and brings considerable diversity to the cast.

The supporting cast is led by Ben Affleck, who plays a divorced alcoholic Tom--who currently has serious problems with the family--only to be recruited by his old friend Santiago for an unrealistic, high-octane heist. Tom is at first reluctant, but his friends promise that the majority of the cash goes to his poor, struggling family. Affleck shows off his muscles, and action film experience, which can only go so far--but for a recovering actor, "Triple Frontier" is a nice, average return. Otherwise, Pedro Pascal plays ex-pilot Francisco, the actor clearly brings some vibrant energy into the role but is left with nothing to do but the scrap work. It is similar to cage-fighter Ben played by Garret Hedlund, who the film sets up as the joker, but later on, you still focus way more on the two leading men. Carrying more traits to the point is another side character William played by Charlie Hunan--who is at least given some tough-guy traits (especially after his role in "Pacific Rim"), but the script drowns any effort. Really, overall, watch Isaac and Affleck's lead performances, but mainly ignore the supporting portion.

The final verdict is: "Triple Frontier" has generic heist film clichès, and the script is as workmanlike as its simple plot, but the caper flick delivers an outstanding cast led by a strong performance from Oscar Isaac--and some tight action sequences making the Netflix produced movie a fun, macho-power trip that will please audiences looking for a couple entertaining thrills...$TREAM IT

By: Keaton Marcus

There is no box office info because the film provided is produced by Netflix, released for streaming only.