Ben Affleck was not the 'alpha male' in Netflix movie Triple Frontier

Guns. Drugs. Special Forces. A mission gone wrong.

Sound familiar?

Those are some of the elements present in the upcoming Netflix Original movie, Triple Frontier, and just about most action movies from the 1980s.

And if you're immediately picturing scenes of brooding expressions, cryptic warnings about not turning back, men walking with a swagger, and displays of machismo; no one will fault you.

After all, Triple Frontier has the makings of a very male, very testosterone-filled movie.

Which begs the questions: between Justice League (with the likes of Henry Cavill and Jason Momoa) and Triple Frontier, which set was more fun and who was the alpha male on set?

When a reporter at the Triple Frontier press conference in Singapore posed this question to cast member Ben Affleck, there was a collective "Oooooo..." and applause before Ben quipped immediately: "Chuck (Roven) is the alpha male on the set."

Good save.

Chuck is the producer for the film and was also present for the media event along with Ben's fellow stars - heartthrobs Charlie Hunnam (Pacific Rim) and Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy).

The foursome were in town to promote the release of Triple Frontier - a film about five ex-Special Forces operatives who reunite to execute a heist on a drug lord for personal gain and find their skills, loyalties and morals tested when their plan goes south.

In addition to Ben, Charlie and Garrett, the film also stars Oscar Isaac (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) and Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones).

Ben's response elicited some chuckles from the stage and he continued to explain that both sets were "very fun" and he enjoyed it. He also casually pointed out that Gal Gadot (who plays Wonder Woman) was part of the Justice League cast so it wasn't truly an all-male cast.

"But this movie is not really so much a story about testosterone or masculinity as it is rooted in factual truth, which is that the vast majority of the Special Forces are men. So it's natural to tell a story about men," he added.

One can't help but notice that he skilfully avoided talking much about Justice League aside from a reference to Gal.

It's not a surprise as it was only recently announced that he would not be reprising the role of Batman in the DC films. Reporters were also told beforehand that questions unrelated to Triple Frontier would not be entertained.

Yet, despite the stark male presence in the movie, Ben clarified that the script doesn't place a "tremendous emphasis on hierarchy, being alpha, and tougher than other people".

If anything, the film helped him understand that "true strength" came from compassion, empathy and teamwork - traits that are stereotypically viewed as being more feminine.

"But Chuck was the alpha," he reiterated.

As with all movies about a band of brothers, one trope Triple Frontier can't shy away from is the camaraderie between the characters. It was also one that came about quite organically as some of the cast were longtime friends.

"A lot of us had already known each other prior to this. Oscar and I had known each other for 10 years. Charlie and I have been best pals for 15 years. So the camaraderie and brotherhood between us (came easier) than you think," revealed Garrett.

Ben had earlier said: "As guys, we had an ease with one another, a kind of shared sense of humour. Sometimes it was gallows humour, but you can really bond on a movie like this."

The brotherhood was not the only reward that came out of filming this movie, at least for Charlie. The English actor admitted that one of the benefits of the job was the opportunity to work in places that are like a "paradise".

"We got to shoot in some extraordinary locations. Primarily we went to Oahu in Hawaii, then we went up to the mountains in northern California and we went to Bogota. It was three extraordinarily beautiful locations, particularly Hawaii," he said.

So, what does he think of sunny Singapore?

That's unfortunately something that Charlie couldn't tell us - but not for lack of trying.

"It's funny, you know. With these types of (press tours), we spend a majority of our time sitting in rooms and answering questions like these so we don't get to explore too much.

"Unfortunately, we only got in late last night so the extent of my experience has been breakfast in the hotel this morning," he explained to the crowd of amused media.

He added: "It was very, very tasty."

He did reveal that his longtime girlfriend Morgana McNelis also flew out to join him in Singapore and they will be extending their stay here for an extra night, so he'll have a chance to go out and see the sights tomorrow.

For all the adoring and eagle-eyed fans, the ball's in your court.

Triple Frontier will be available globally on Netflix from Wednesday, March 13.

For highlights of the Tripler Frontier fan event last night (March 8), please see the gallery below.

bryanlim@asiaone.com