J.C. Chandor's Triple Frontier is a fumbled attempt at an action adventure flick. Five psychologically damaged special forces veterans try to kill and rob a drug lord deep in the Amazonian jungle. The vets are economically scuffling and need this one last score. I didn't really mind the formulaic nature of the film or its borrowings from The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Wages of Fear, etc., but I was especially irked by the feeble attempts to flesh out the characters. Oscar Isaac has not shown he has the charisma to be a leading man and Chandor does not help his cause here. Ben Affleck is miscast as a depressed veteran. He may be past his glory days, like his character, but his narrow wheelhouse is cocky vacuity; as in Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy. Charlie Hunnam is a sieve, as always. Producers must mistake his skeeziness for authenticity. Pedro Pascal and Garrett Hedlund fare better.
The one femme, Adria Arjona, is set up in a ludicrous informant/cop relationship with Isaac. She is fine, but if you want to see it done right, check out William Petersen and Darlanne Fluegel in To Live and Die in LA. The Colombian locations are watchable, but Triple Frontier is a washout. Chandor's reputation continues to escape me. (3/16/19)
No comments:
Post a Comment