Bullet Points: Triple Threat

When it comes to movies that were highly anticipated in the action community, Triple Threat must be at or near the top. With an incredible cast of actors and actresses, is there any chance that this movie can live up to the potential that it shows in the trailer? Let’s find out…

Synopsis: A hit contract is taken out on a billionaires daughter intent on bringing down a major crime syndicate. A down and out team of mercenaries must take on a group of professional assassins and stop them before they kill their target.

• Opening Salvo: The film starts with a very Predator-esque scene as the team of mercenaries attack and annihilate a camp of useless soldiers. The crew is made up of most of the big actors in the movie including Tony Jaa, Tiger Chen, Michael Jai White, Jeeja Yanin, and Michael Bisping. They are there to break out one very special prisoner that is being kept in the village.
• The Gang’s all Here: Say hello to Iko Uwais, who is living in the soon to be demolished camp with his wife, and the prisoner who is the object of the mission, Scott Adkins. Uwais’ wife gets killed after a barrage of gunfire through their hut and he and Tony Jaa have a quick fight outside before they’re interrupted by an explosion. I hate when that happens. Even worse, Jaa and Chen bump heads with the rest of the crew and are left for dead. I also hate when that happens.

• Asian Fight Club: The rest of the film is essentially the two men running from their former comrades with a few breaks here and there. Jaa and Chen are old pals who have both come from shaky backgrounds and now find themselves on the wrong side of the law and being chased by some pretty bad dudes. I liked the dynamic between Jaa and Chen and it feels like they could be pals. Neither of them have a whole lot of character traits that make them unique but I chalk that up to the language barrier. What the film does do right is give us plenty of dream fights between actors but sadly none of the fights caused me to jump out of my chair.
• Talk, Talk, Talk: Once the meat of the story hits (which is my least favorite part of the movie) Jaa and Chen are on the run with a billionaire heiress played by Celina Jade. The incredible action in the film slows as we learn a little about her and she learns just enough about her two new friends to trust them with her life.

• On the Run: It took me a while to figure out that the movie took place in Thailand. I don’t know what was going on with that camp in the beginning or why it existed but it is only one of the many questions I had during the course of the film. Adkins and his crew of mercs were being bankrolled by a mysterious benefactor who never really amounted to much.
• No More Talk: Director Jesse V. Johnson had one hell of a cast for Triple Threat. I don’t think I’ve seen a movie with so many quality action stars in it since The Expendables. It definitely effected my expectations for the film and I’m not sure they were all fulfilled. Scott Adkins, Michael Jai White, and the rest of their crew absolutely ran roughshod over the camp at the beginning and then Terminator-style decimated a police station full of cops. All of that was badass. Then, they spent an hour of the runtime failing to capture one Chinese billionaire in high heels.

• But What About the Fights: You have to know that the sheer number of shootouts and fisticuffs thrown in Triple Threat is enough to make the movie enjoyable. Jaa and Chen both have several fights and Iko Uwais fights pretty much everyone in the movie at one point or another. A special shoutout goes to Adkins who could probably have a good fight scene with a wooden chair. My biggest issue with the fights was that I would’ve loved to see Michael Jai White and even Michael Bisping get an opportunity to kick the crap out of some random nameless dudes. It would have given them even more cred and cemented the fact that they should be feared instead of me assuming they’re good at what they do.

The Verdict: The film obviously revolves around the action scenes and that is a very good thing. Jesse V. Johnson knows how to film action and he lets his stars shine in Triple Threat. I loved the Predator-style opening action with the merc crew decimating the camp and later obliterating the police station. The problem was that they were totally incapable of taking out Jaa and Chen and it made them look like a bunch of idiots. Running all over the city for half the film while their prey just barely escaped is a terrible way to portray your badass bad guys. I liked the duo of Tiger and Tony but I would have almost liked it better if they weren’t friends to begin with and only joined up after being left for dead by the crew. No matter, the action is really fun to watch and you’ll most likely be entertained if you’re a fan of the genre. Definitely worth watching to see so many legendary action stars in one movie.