This Film Stars Mr. Fantastic, Moon Knight, and Batman, But You Probably Haven’t Seen It

Even though none of them have superpowers, it’s a still a must-watch movie.

Though 2019 was a mere six years ago, it feels like a different time. It was pre-pandemic, pre-industry altering writers and actors strikes, and pre-massive geopolitical shifts that have all almost unbelievably happened over the past five years. While it’s easy for media to fall by the wayside among the recent madness, we find it shocking that the action thriller Triple Frontier didn’t make the splash it should have when the film was released on Netflix in March 2019. Triple Frontier boasted a spoil of creative riches with a lauded director, an all-star cast, and a $100-million-plus budget.

Though Triple Frontier was at best a flash in the pan when it premiered, six years later, the film still holds up.

Triple Frontier Examines Modern Life After Military Service With Plenty of Twists and Turns

In Triple Frontier, Santiago “Pope” Garcia (Oscar Isaac) is retired from the US special ops and working as a military contractor in Colombia. When one of his informants Yovanna (Star Wars: Andor‘s Adria Arjona) approaches him to smuggle her and her brother out of the country and away from the Colombian drug lord Lorea (Reynaldo Gallegos), Pope sees an opportunity to not only help Yovanna, but to recoup some of the riches he feels owed after thankless service to the American flag. Pope returns home to the States to recruit his brothers-in-arms from his Delta Force days in a heist to steal the millions Lorea has stashed in a safe house deep in the jungle.

Unlike Pope, everyone else has moved on from their once action-packed careers. Tom “Redfly” Davis (Ben Affleck) works in real estate, Francisco “Catfish” Morales (Pedro Pascal) has a new baby and a suspended pilot’s license, William “Ironhead” Miller (Charlie Hunnam) gives talks to vets, while his brother Ben Miller (Garrett Hedlund) is a mixed-martial-arts fighter. Though all four of Pope’s comrades meet his plan with reticence, their dissatisfaction with civilian life ultimately convinces them to join him. Pope distills the crux of the issue elegantly when he points out to Redfly, “You’ve been shot five times for your country, and you can’t even afford a new truck.”

Consummate professionals, the men succeed at infiltrating Lorea’s safe house and making out with three times the money they thought they would steal from Lorea and Pope keeps his promise to get Yovanna and her brother out of Colombia. However, the real challenge comes when the ex-soldiers try to get the money back to the States. No longer do the men dream about their multi-million dollar payout, instead, they find themselves battling to make it home alive.

Pedro Pascal Established Himself as an Action Star in Triple Frontier

Triple Frontier‘s co-writer and director J.C. Chandor crafts a complex and compelling story of revenge-gone-wrong. While Triple Frontier could’ve been a straightforward Robin Hood-esque tale in a modern, military skin, Chandor ultimately undermines Pope and the men’s mission to steal from the rich to right their injustices. Yet, Chandor does so not by judging or condemning the group of friends for their greed, but rather to spotlights the lengths veterans are pushed to as a result of the system failing them. The film is still full of gripping action, twists, and turns, but it eschews the typical formula of the genre.

While Triple Frontier does end on an ultimately hopeful note, we all feel more somber than expected, and more timely as America teeters on the brink of war. Triple Frontier and Chandor’s other magnum opus, A Most Violent Year, is likely what got him the job directing Kraven the Hunter. Though he’s not entirely to blame for that film’s failure, revisiting Triple Frontier has us hoping he’ll return to grittier thrillers and leave the studio superhero films in the rearview mirror.

Speaking of superheroes, part of what lifts Triple Frontier from being a wholly depressing ride is its cast. It’s a ton of fun watching Mr. Fantastic, Moon Knight, and Batman team up, even without their respective abilities and capes. Pascal, Isaac, and Affleck (plus Hunnam and Hedlund, too) are all incredibly gifted, charismatic actors, so watching their chemistry onscreen is irresistible. Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona) as the informant Yovanna only improves the ensemble, as Arjona throws everything she has at giving her character the depth and dimension it lacked on the page.

The star-studded ensemble is likely why Triple Frontier crept back into Netflix’s Top 10 chart in 2023. We suspect the boost came from fans of Pascal, in between seasons of The Mandalorian and The Last of Us, and Isaac, while they wait for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, along with any concrete news of Moon Knight returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As fans gear up for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, revisiting Triple Frontier is particularly enjoyable. Oscar Isaac and Ben Affleck were bona fide action stars in 2019, but Pedro Pascal was just beginning his meteoric ascent to stardom. The fact that he cut his action star teeth along co-star and real-life friend Isaac in Triple Frontier makes the movie even more special.

Triple Frontier is currently streaming on Netflix.