Triple Frontier | Giant Little Ones | Greta
Triple Frontier
Directed by J. C. Chandor
There’s no honour among thieves, but don’t tell that to the moralizing mercenaries of Triple Frontier. The film follows a group of ex-Special Forces operatives carving out civilian lives away from armed combat. Things change when their army buddy Santiago “Pope” Garcia (Oscar Isaac) comes out of the woodwork with a lucrative scheme to take out a South American crime lord. These honourable bros are initially hesitant — particularly Tom “Redfly” Davis (Ben Affleck), who is now a struggling realtor with a family to support. But after beating the audience over the head with pro-army propaganda about how soldiers don’t get paid enough, everyone agrees to the plan to make a quick buck. In South America, it quickly becomes apparent that this mission is a little shadier than Pope initially suggested. Rather than a government-sanctioned mission to take down a crime boss, this is a full-blown heist, with millions up for grabs. After more hemming and hawing about morality, everyone agrees to murder the mobster and take his money. It’s Robin Hood
with an assault rifle.
For a movie whose characters spend so much time worrying about “doing the right thing,”
Triple Frontier doesn’t bother examining its own message. It dubiously glorifies the military, as the dudes listen to Metallica and give macho speeches about the supposed nobility of killing people while wearing the U.S. flag on their sleeves. South America is depicted as a criminal wasteland, where literally every character is a gang member or a victim; even when they meet a group of remote farmers in the foothills of the Andes, they turn out to be growing cocaine. There’s only one female role (Adria Arjona), and her primary character trait is that she’s attractive — something the male characters remind us of repeatedly. But as unconvincing as all the film’s moralizing is, it’s still a compelling heist. The story remains gripping throughout the entire two-hour-plus runtime, particularly during the second half, when the protagonists are torn between greed and survival. Special credit goes to composer Disasterpeace, whom audiences may remember from the
It Follows score. His eerie tones and sinister buildups give the film a moodier vibe, and are a lovely complement to the gorgeous rainforests and spectacular Andean vistas. Triple Frontier shows how even the most virtuous intentions get tainted by greed. (Netflix) ALEX HUDSON
Giant Little Ones
Directed by Keith Behrman
When Franky (Josh Wiggins) hooks up with his best friend at his 17th birthday party, new pressures are introduced into his life. Beyond changing friendships and relationships, he navigates the fear and confusion of a first sexual encounter, and external pressure to label himself or announce an identity. Instead of the usual “coming out,” narrative, writer and director Keith Behrman creates space for a handful of his characters to engage with the more intimate, personal work of figuring out what feels “right,” and how to communicate that. Despite dark, sometimes violent moments, Giant Little Ones is bright, vibrant and youthful. It is a classic coming-of-age teenage drama that manages to carve out space for a tender exploration of sexuality and identity. (Mongrel) SARAH MELTON
Greta
Directed by Neil Jordan
Billed as a “psychological thriller,” Greta lacks any modicum of tension or suspense. Instead, the latest from writer-director Neil Jordan ( The Crying Game, Michael Collins) elicited uproarious laughter from the audience. Was this crafted as a campy comedy or is it a mistake? It doesn’t really matter, because Greta kind of works. Chloë Grace Moretz stars as Frances, a young, naive New York transplant who is trying to get over the death of her mother while living it up with her rich young friend Erica (Maika Monroe). Though life in the big city is good enough for Erica, Frances is clearly struggling. Her fate changes when she discovers a stray purse on the subway and opts to return it to its owner. Enter the film’s titular Greta, a lonely widow expertly played by Isabelle Huppert. Frances and Greta quickly develop a friendship that becomes a de facto mother/ daughter relationship until one night, Frances discovers a cabinet full of identical copies of the same purse. Turns out Greta is both a stalker and a twisted psychopath.
With better direction and a tighter script, Greta could have been a compelling examination of grief, but the dialogue is clunky and there are bafflingly violent scenes out of nowhere. And yet, the whole thing is so stupidly fun that it will certainly find plenty more enthusiastic audiences that stumble across it while drunkenly perusing their VOD queue in the middle of the night. (Metropolitan Films) JOSIAH HUGHES