We recommend our top five picks to watch after you’ve seen Netflix’s latest action thriller.
Netflix has stepped up its game in various genres, mainly romantic comedies and dramas. However, when it comes to bigger budget genres like action and sci-fi it seems to still fall on the side of mediocrity. Thankfully, this heist thriller is out of the norm and creates quite the engaging action drama (review here).
For this week’s list of movie recommendations, I’ve looked at films that may have influenced the writing, direction or overall feel of this film. These films aren’t all cinematic masterpieces by any means, but they certainly quench the craving that Triple Frontier might leave you with after two hours of guns, drugs and explosions.
THE HURT LOCKER (2008)
The first film on our list most likely heavily influenced all aspects of Triple Frontier. The Hurt Locker follows the story of a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad who is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work. Triple Frontier has been in production hell for the past decade and was originally crafted by the team behind The Hurt Locker. Mark Boal and Kathryn Bigelow worked on this script while filming The Hurt Locker giving the same focus on combat and the disconnect of soldiers returning from war. If you enjoyed Triple Frontier’s‘s story, characters, themes, style, tone, or atmosphere then you might like The Hurt Locker.
SICARIO (2015)
If you looked for films that matched Triple Frontier, this one would top that list with ease. Sicario follows the story of an idealistic FBI agent who is enlisted by a government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico. Not only does it focus on the drug trade south of the American border, but it brings some very real, human characters to the story. Throw in some actions and drama and you’ve got pretty similar films on paper. Triple Frontier may be less in your face with its story, but still packs a similar suspenseful punch. If you enjoyed Triple Frontier’s‘s story, themes, style, tone, or atmosphere then you might like Sicario.
THREE KINGS (1999)
Triple Frontier isn’t the first film to do the doomed heist behind enemy lines. Three Kings follows the story of four soldiers who set out to steal gold that was stolen from Kuwait during the Persian Gulf War, but they discover people who desperately need their help. Everything about this film shows parallels to Netflix’s newest action drama. Soldiers use their military experience to plan and execute a daring heist mission that ends up going wrong. This one is more lighthearted than Triple Frontier, but it still contains the same action and drama. If you enjoyed Triple Frontier’s story, characters, themes, tone, or atmosphere then you might like Three Kings.
THE LOSERS (2010)
Another ragtag group of ex-soldiers, albeit not as serious as others in the genre. The Losers follows the story of a CIA special forces team who are betrayed and left for dead by their superiors, motivating them to mount an offensive against the CIA. This comic adaptation is the extremely ridiculous and lighthearted version of Triple Frontier. It has the same all-star ensemble, similar motifs and action set-pieces. It is a truly underappreciated gem of the heist action genre. If you enjoyed Triple Frontier’s story, characters, tone, or atmosphere then you might like The Losers.
TRAFFIC (2000)
The final film on this list is certainly one of the influences of Triple Frontier. Traffic follows the story of multiple perspectives of the illegal drug trade as users, enforcers, politicians and traffickers have their lives intertwine in this dangerous world. With its layered storytelling and mix of characters, Traffic has a lot more depth than Triple Frontier‘s linear storyline. It focuses on the drug trade and those involved bringing a similar atmosphere to the story while having the same action and drama as well. This is the original large-scale drug trade film that all others have used for their foundation. If you enjoyed Triple Frontier‘s story, themes, tone, or atmosphere then you might like Traffic.
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