Netflix
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are at it again, with the duo recently reuniting on screen for the Netflix action movie “The Rip.” With a lot of love from critics, it’s arguably the first must-see streaming movie of 2026. But what’s one to do once the fun is over? Might I humbly recommend another Affleck-led heist movie that is readily available to watch on Netflix that very well might have slid under one’s radar several years back?
The movie in question is 2019’s “Triple Frontier.” Directed by J.C. Chandor, who more recently directed the Marvel disaster that was “Kraven the Hunter,” this was a star-studded affair with a very intriguing premise that had been in development for years in Hollywood before Affleck finally helped make it happen. It’s also the perfect companion piece to “The Rip.” Though by no means the same movie, it can absolutely scratch a similar itch for viewers and keep the party going.
Written by Mark Boal (“The Hurt Locker”) and Chandor, it centers on a group of former special operatives who reunite to plan a heist in a sparsely populated multi-border zone of South America. Their target? Millions in cash being held by a drug lord. These unsung heroes, for the first time, are taking on this dangerous mission for themselves instead of their country. But events take an unexpected turn and threaten to spiral out of control, threatening to compromise more than just the life-changing money they’re after.
Affleck was joined by the likes of Oscar Isaac (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”), Charlie Hunnam (“Sons of Anarchy”), Garrett Hedlund (“Tron: Legacy”), Pedro Pascal (“The Mandalorian”), and Adria Arjona (“Pacific Rim Uprising”), making for quite the ensemble.
Triple Frontier simply came and went in 2019
Netflix
“Triple Frontier” had been in development for about a decade by the time it finally came to life on Netflix. Originally, Kathryn Bigelow (“Zero Dark Thirty”) was going to be at the helm with a very different cast, one that included the likes of Tom Hanks and Will Smith circling roles at various points. Back in 2016, Johnny Depp was even being eyed for a lead role.
Eventually, things worked out the way they worked out, with Affleck even exiting the project at one point before coming back. For a movie that had so much history and talent surrounding it, it felt like it just sort of came and went without a whole lot of fanfare when it debuted on the streaming service in March of 2019. Mind you, this was at a time when Netflix, though big, still wasn’t the dominant force in all of entertainment, with movie theaters still owning a much larger slice of the pie. Disney alone made more than $10 billion at the box office that year. 2020 would change all of that.
All of this to say, it felt very much like “Triple Frontier,” a stylish flick with a compelling story and an A-list ensemble, just sort of flew under the radar as people were more interested in talking about Jordan Peele’s “Us” or even “Shazam!” rather than some action movie streaming on Netflix. But it now feels like the perfect time to circle back to this one, in light of “The Rip” en route to becoming a hit for the streamer.
The Rip and Triple Frontier are cut from a similar cloth
Netflix
Granted, “Triple Frontier” did re-emerged on Netflix’s charts in late 2023, for no discernible reason whatsoever. What that suggests, above all else, is that this is a movie worth discovering long after the initial buzz wore off. That’s a tough thing to accomplish in the streaming era, where it’s all about what’s new and it’s so easy for movies to just get lost in the flow.
I can’t rightfully say that this is a perfect movie. /Film’s Chris Evangelista called it a “junk food action flick” in his review. That’s in some ways fair but as someone who watches a whole lot of this stuff, I’d argue this is a cut above the run-of-the-mill “famous guys with guns” movies you’re likely to find in the wild. It’s exceptionally filmed, harrowing, gritty, and goes in unexpected directions. It’s tense, very well acted, and unique amongst both action and heist movies. Having watched it several times, it’s only gotten better with each subsequent viewing.
Both “Triple Frontier” and “The Rip” are cut from similar cloths. While “The Rip” feels closer to a mid-budget January action movie, “Triple Frontier” feels like it’s reaching for a bit of prestige while attempting to scratch that blockbuster, popcorn movie itch. Netflix, by pure accident, teed up the perfect shot and chaser for viewers out there wanting more after watching Affleck and Damon do their thing through the lens of director Joe Carnahan. That whole “same but different” vibe is what can make for a great double feature.
