“All basic human instincts move towards one goal: the completion of my mission.”

These were the words that captured my attention as a trailer for yet another new Netflix release popped up on my Instagram page. The sentence was created through simple words but consisted of this powerful message that I desired to know more about; therefore, I found myself spending the next two hours watching the new film Triple Frontier.

The movie opens up with a scene focused on one of the main characters, Santiago (Oscar Isaac), who is wrapped up in an intense battle which leads to the introduction of the initial antagonist, Lorea (Reynaldo Gallegos). Lorea is a drug lord whom Santiago has been chasing for years, and with the intel of his undercover insider, Yovanna (Adria Arjona), Santiago is finally able to reveal the location of Lorea’s home. This then sends him to reunite his other four former special forces operatives for a furtive mission which involves Lorea and millions of dollars.

This mission the five unsung heroes (Tom (Ben Affleck), Francisco (Pedro Pascal), Will (Charlie Hunnam), Ben (Garrett Hedlund), and Santiago) encounter is a treacherous attack for the benefit of themselves, rather than what they are used to, the benefit of their country. The great shift in the objective of their mission ends up leading to a spiral of consequences as the desire for money quickly corrupts four of the five men.

Throughout the film, the warriors fall into a dangerous tornado of corruption, face copious obstacles as they attempt to escape with their crime, and are forced to the breaking point of their loyalties and morals as their journey only continues to deteriorate. The movie captures the falls, breakthroughs, and losses of the men who serve as heroes for our country, as well as spilling the story of corruption that follows the powerful desire for money.

As I watched the five former special forces operatives in Triple Frontier, I was reminded of one of my favorite movies, Lone Survivor. It is yet another film faced on the basis of battle, and it projects this connection between the men in battle, the brotherhood that comes with the fight. I found myself viewing the same kind of connection between the men in Triple Frontier, sprinkling this power of the brotherhood theme throughout the movie.

The new release was anything you could ask for in an action movie. There were long scenes of suspense that left me begging for the next event to occur, there were thrilling scenes of battle which helped keep me enraptured in the movie, and there were emotional scenes which provided me with a connection to the movie that made me feel the movie, rather than just watch it. I wasn’t caught with wandering eyes; they remained frozen to the screen as my mind was left to constantly wonder what was to come next.

However, I am someone who loves a heavy, intense movie around the subject of battle, and you would have to enjoy those kinds of movies in order to be interested in this one. These kinds of movies can be tough to watch, but they are so enthralling; you just have to have a want to watch them.

I find that the acting in action-combat movies can make or break the entire film. The theme of these movies is arduous and, more often than not, somber, so a believable actor that finds themselves bringing the scenes to real life, whether or not they are displaying a true story, is key to the entire masterpiece production. The actors are supposed to tell the story as if it is their own, and that is exactly what I felt through the actors in Triple Frontier.

Tom, who is also known as the captain figure of the group when it comes to the process of planning a mission, was played by Ben Affleck. In the film, Tom was the character who fell the hardest to the monster of corruption. He was a father who just wanted money to provide for his family, and at the sight of so much of it, his vision was blurred by the strong desire for more and more money. However, Tom also represents a key part of the brotherhood between the five fighters and stands as a strong warrior with an intelligent mind. I gathered each of these traits as I watched Affleck completely become Tom, bringing the character to real life, not just someone pretending to be a fighter he truly is not. His acting, as well as mixed with the other four, added a trueness factor to the film which stands as a major factor of keeping the watchers intrigued.

Two other actors I found myself being utterly drawn in by were Santiago and Will. The two men stood as balancers of each other, and without one side of the balance speaking up, trouble was bound to come. Oscar Isaac was cast as Santiago, who was the side of the balance that could easily become lost in the desire for money and the intensity of battle. Charlie Hunnam was cast as Will, and he stood at the side of the balance that never lost the honesty of thought. He repelled the corruption all of the others faced at some point and remained with straightness in his thought, keeping the balance at an even scale. Once again, the two actors brought their characters and the bond between them to life, adding belief and a broad opening for a connection to be created between the watchers and the characters. The actors brought the whole battle-full journey to life.

With all components of a great movie considered, I found that Triple Frontier was a great mixture of nearly all of them. The two-hour long movie kept me watching through each ticking minute, and the film itself carried important, powerful messages that are worth watching.

Triple Frontier was long and left me exhausted from suspense in a good way, and I would most definitely watch the exceptional production again.