Ben Affleck's 'forgotten' heist movie on Netflix has twist that left many 'mad'

Boasting a 71 per cent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Ben Affleck's heist thriller 'Triple Frontier' appears to maintain just enough intrigue to engage viewers.

Helmed and penned in part by JC Chandor, the action-packed 'Triple Frontier' features a star-studded ensemble including Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, and Pedro Pascal alongside Affleck.

In the film, Affleck portrays mastermind Tom "Redfly" Davis, with Isaac as his right-hand man Santiago "Pope" Garcia. The storyline follows their band of ex-US Army Delta Force operatives - also consisting of Francisco "Catfish" Morales (Pascal), William "Ironhead" Miller (Hunnam), and Benjamin "Ben / Benny" Miller (Hedlund) - as they plot a daring robbery of South American crime lord Gabriel Martin Lorea's abode.

Debuting in a limited number of cinemas on March 6, 2019, by Netflix, 'Triple Frontier' was met with an extensive global streaming audience on March 13. The film's title is a nod to the Tres Fronteras area in the South American Amazon rainforest, where the territories of Peru, Brazil, and Colombia converge-a notorious hotspot for illicit drug trafficking.

The cinematic caper received polarised reviews, evidencing a split consensus. One critic praised the effort: "From the direction to the script to the production elements to the performances, Triple Frontier is a first-class ride, reports .

Conversely, a different critic shared a starkly contrasting view: "Triple Frontier is a slog - not just for the men hiking through the rough Andes terrain with bags of money, but for audiences as well. ".

One critic's review said: "Triple Frontier doesn't entirely manage to transcend the traps of action movies, but there's more to it than meets the eye," while another offers a slightly more positive take: "Triple Frontier makes a decent stab at looking beyond the usual ambitions of the genre. There's thought behind all this gun-toting."

A different critic adds a touch of irony: "There are some zippy chase scenes and shootouts, and tension throughout. But the characters - especially the lethargic Affleck - make for more of a C-Team than an A-Team."

A Rotten Tomatoes review says: "It's a movie that maybe tries to do too much, but it does enough of it well to keep you glued to the screen."

An audience member vents frustration over the film's conclusion: "I won't spoil the ending for you, such as it is. That's 90 minutes of my life that I will never ever get back and believe me I'm pissed about it. My wife says 'oh, let's try this.' I told her that I would never let her pick a movie for me ever again."

Meanwhile, another viewer says: "Great cast, mediocre movie, and the ending seemed like they ran out of money," yet a generally satisfied audience member comments: "I'd never heard of this movie and with a low audience rating didn't expect much, however, it was a thoroughly entertaining action romp worth 2 hrs of anyone's time. Yes, a few plot holes and a bit macho but good pace, great action sequences and not just a rehash of other heist plots."

Discussing the film's unexpected climactic turn, one critique states: "The first half had good action sequences and set up. Then one horrible decision set up a not very good back half through the Andes and an unpleasant finish. Two stars for the first half only."

Another scathing critique doesn't pull any punches, bluntly asserting: "Possibly one of the worst films I've ever suffered through. The end is painfully bad (if you make it to the end)."

Triple Frontier is streaming on Netflix now.