7 Years Later, Ben Affleck & Pedro Pascal's Star-Studded Netflix Thriller Is a Must-Watch

4 hours ago 6

Published Jan 28, 2026, 6:51 PM EST

Greg is a Lead TV Writer & Critic at Screen Rant who also covers Movies and Music. He's published over 2500 articles at SR, including weekly binge guides and dozens of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. He previously worked in Development at ABC Television & Lawrence Bender Productions.

Greg majored in Film Production at Chapman University's Dodge College. Greg also has years of broadcast TV production experience at major networks such as NBC, TNT, and ESPN. He currently lives in Greater Boston.

A star-studded Netflix action thriller remains a must-watch hidden gem 7 years after its release. With an outstanding ensemble cast led by Ben Affleck and Pedro Pascal, this is a must-watch Netflix movie for all thriller fans.

Whether you're fresh off of watching Netflix's Affleck and Matt Damon crime thriller The Rip, or in the middle of watching Pedro Pascal's entire filmography, this forgotten action movie is worth giving a shot this week, considering its rare, extraordinary cast.

Triple Frontier may just have one of the greatest ensemble casts in a modern war action thriller ever assembled. Besides Affleck and Pascal, the 2019 Netflix movie also stars Oscar Isaac (Dune), Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy), Garrett Hedlund (Tulsa King), and Adria Arjona (Hit Man).

Directed by J.C. Chandor (All Is Lost, A Most Violent Year), Triple Frontier stars Affleck, Pascal, Isaac, Hunnam, and Hedlund as five friends and former special forces operatives who attempt to overthrow a dangerous drug lord in South America. Their plan – rob the cartel boss of his enormous cash fortune at his remote house on the triple border of Peru, Brazil, and Colombia.

Triple Frontier received mostly positive reviews when it was released in 2019, resulting in a Rotten Tomatoes score of 71%. There has been recent buzz about a potential sequel in development, but there haven't been any major updates from Netflix as of January 2026. If you enjoyed Affleck in The Rip, you'll likely want to check out his performance as the squad leader Tom 'Redfly' Davis in Triple Frontier.

Triple Frontier Is Better Than Its RT Audience Score Suggests

Tom (Ben Affleck), Benny (Garrett Hedland), and Santiago (Oscar Isaac) look nervous as Frankie (Pedro Pascal) pilots the helicopter over the Andes.

While Triple Frontier received mostly positive feedback from critics, it was criticized by viewers and ended up with a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of just 58%. Most people would probably lose interest after seeing that statistic, but in retrospect, Triple Frontier deserves more credit than it got when it was first released.

First, let's put the state of Hollywood and the movie industry in context. Triple Frontier was released as a streaming movie in 2019, which has one of the largest total worldwide box offices of all time, thanks to massive blockbusters like Avengers: Endgame and The Lion King. The standard of movies in 2019 was at an all-time high, and a Netflix movie like Triple Frontier naturally had a hard time competing during a historic box office year.

The film itself does have a strong premise, combining heist thriller and action war genres to create something compelling from the very first scene. While the movie plays out a bit slower than the trailer might have suggested, the story subverts expectations to maintain tension, while also exploring concepts of morality and greed. It's also fascinating to watch the great chemistry between the five A-listers, all of whom have individually starred in massive blockbusters.

If you're looking for an overlooked, hidden gem movie and one-of-a-kind action thriller that deserves more praise, Triple Frontier is one of the best options to stream on Netflix.