Director: John Hillcoat
Writer: Matt Cook
Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Casey Affleck, Anthony Mackie, Woody Harrelson, Aaron Paul, Norman Reedus, Clifton Collins Jr., Kate Winslet.
TRIPLE 9 was edge-of-the-seat, hard hitting and a great, well-rounded story.
Set in Atlanta, Georgia, Michael Atwood (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is an ex-military soldier who heads a crew with two brothers, Gabe (Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad)) and Russell (Norman Reedus).
Caught up in dirty dealings with a Jewish Russian Mafia, Michael and his crew recruit two dirty cops, Marcus (Anthony Mackie) and Franco (Clifton Collins Jr.) to help rob a bank in order to obtain a safe deposit box containing information to overturn the recent conviction of the Maria boss. But the boss’ wife, Irina Vlaslov (Kate Winslet) withholds payment. The information’s not enough.
Using brutal intimidation, Irina sends the crew off to a second job. This is a tight-knit crew, but when faced with the impossible, the ties of family and brothers in arms gets stretched to breaking point.
The complication of morals versus survival shows each of the characters for who they truly are. Each action peeling back another layer, showing the good to be bad and the bad to be good.
Reminiscent of one of my favourites, Heat (1995), TRIPLE 9 was brutal without getting caught up in the details: bloody plastic in the boot of a car tells enough of a story.
I liked this film because it went beyond all expectations. The story just kept unfolding to its bloody conclusion. I couldn’t look away: cringing, gasping, hoping and ultimately smiling contently at a well thought-out conclusion.
The camera work was great without being over-done. The image of shadows behind the curtain surrounding a hospital bed ominous, knowing the faceless really is a monster.
Although all performances were well executed (I will always and forever be a fan of Woody Harrelson), the stand-out for me was Casey Affleck as the good cop, Chris Allen. A strong, believable character who balanced the rest of the cast extremely well. And the balancing of all the strong characters within the storyline is what makes TRIPLE 9 such a success.
One of the best movies I’ve seen for a while and I’m now convinced my favourite genre is Crime Thriller – would definitely recommend this one.