SummaryA crew of dirty cops is blackmailed by the Russian mob to execute a virtually impossible heist and the only way to pull it off is to manufacture a 999, police code for “officer down.” Their plan is turned upside down when the unsuspecting rookie they set up to die foils the attack, triggering a breakneck action-packed finale tangled with...
SummaryA crew of dirty cops is blackmailed by the Russian mob to execute a virtually impossible heist and the only way to pull it off is to manufacture a 999, police code for “officer down.” Their plan is turned upside down when the unsuspecting rookie they set up to die foils the attack, triggering a breakneck action-packed finale tangled with...
Just about every scene features an Oscar winner or an Oscar nominee or an Emmy winner and/or a first-rate character actor — and just about every scene is a bloody mix of taut thriller and utterly implausible noir plot point. This is a sordid but slick and gutsy mess that comes across like a cover-band version of a Michael Mann movie.
A seedy crime-thriller that wins you over with one heck on an ensemble cast. Not everyone onscreen is of the usual leading man material, but they're all actors and actresses who have proven themselves to be very talented over the years. The plot soars thanks to director John Hillcoat's experience with making movies with morally gray material. Nothing is black and white in this tale of crooked cops, betrayal, murder, and impossible heists. So much so in fact, that Casey Affleck's very black-and-white minded new cop on the scene feels like the weak link in terms of characterization. Aaron Paul ends up being a close second as he is really just playing Jesse Pinkman again; a drug addict with the most backhanded sense of morals one has ever fabricated for themselves. The entire cast is on point though. It's a film without any real heroes and villains. Yet, you're given cause to root for the characters who are doing most of their living in the middle of the moral spectrum, as they are just doing what they can to survive.
The action is quite methodical and meticulously crafted in several exciting set-pieces. It's just as gritty and bloody as Hillcoat's previous works. Whether it's the more calculated heist sequences or the more chaotic bits of gangland warfare, Triple 9 is both taut and exciting. The brutality leans on realism to get the job done. Triple 9 is a dark look at corrupt law enforcement officers who are having their sins catch up with them. Most filmmaker's would kill for a cast like this, where literally everyone onscreen is both dedicated and totally killing it. It doesn't pull any punches as the twists and surprise backstabs just keep coming. The movie has no trouble holding your attention. Especially if you enjoy strong, mature stories where the characters are real and there really aren't any good guys onscreen.
9.2/10
Well, Woody's in it, so it rates an automatic 8 points from me right off the bat! And Casey Affleck is the best actor in the whole big mess this movie is, so it gets one more point. Aaron Paul? He really deserves some lead roles, after his GREAT work in Breaking Bad. All the actors were good, but the two main black guys looked and sounded so similar I was never quite sure which was which. The Mexicans were cool; they had a definite L.A. vibe, though. Are they really like that outside of L.A.? Maybe, huh?
Most parties concerned maintain their grim countenances, their characters struggling to find the sweet spot between honor and greed, between doing the right thing and doing the absolute worst.
It's not a ridiculous degree of complexity per se, but screenwriter Matt Cook mistakes solemnity for gravity, and a high body count for dramatic urgency. The cast is terrific, unfortunately.
The story is clotted and overloaded, lacking the necessary clean tautness and suspense. And Kate Winslet's turn as a hatchet-faced Russian mob matriarch is a bit on the ridiculous side.
A howlingly inane movie that somehow managed to collect an impressively A-list cast on its way toward becoming a cop movie that’s not just dumb, it’s disastrous.
With shades of Michael Mann's Heat and a hint of Scorcese's The Departed this movie did not disappoint. Great characters coupled with a twisted plot makes this one of the most watchable movies of the year so far. Lies, deception and corruption are the foundation of this cinematic experience and the back story of each character allows you to engage with all those that appear on screen.
An action packed and thrilling conclusion make for a great film, coupled with an A List cast you cannot go wrong with watching this movie.
Cypress Hill and Old Skool Hip-Hop classics add a depth to the movie with an amazing soundtrack further enhancing the hard hitting gang life of the Atlanta streets.
Triple 9 is a crime drama directed by John Hillcoat and written by Matt Cook. It surprisingly has some very big well known cast members, like Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Aaron Paul, Clifton Collins, Jr., Norman Reedus, Teresa Palmer, Michael K. Williams, Gal Gadot, with Woody Harrelson, and Kate Winslet.
In TRIPLE 9, a crew of dirty cops is blackmailed by the Russian mob to execute a virtually impossible heist. The only way to pull it off is to manufacture a 999, police code for "officer down". Their plan is turned upside down when the unsuspecting rookie they set up to die foils the attack, triggering a breakneck, action-packed finale filled with double-crosses, greed and revenge.
I'm just going to start the review by saying what anyone who has seen the movie was thinking, (for the most part) it is extremely boring. It has such a convoluted plot that feels so muddled and just, unfortunately, uninteresting.
The cast members do a decent job, with the lead Anthony Mackie, who in my opinion was the best in this movie, as far as acting is concerned. Casey Affleck is fine too, but really nobody else brings their A game here as it is obvious as soon as you lay eyes on the movie.
The cinematography by Nicolas Karakatsanis is really nice though, I will give it that. But it is just not enough, as the movie fails on so many levels and has so many apparent flaws that just can't be ignored.
It has very few action sequences, especially for an "action" movie, but those few are actually very well handled by the director John Hillcoat. Especially in the middle of the movie when they're trying to catch a drug dealer of some sort. The ending is a total disappointment, overall I think it is a meh movie that had so much potential but very little to offer.
Combination of wrong path and untrustworthy troop.
This should have been the Holywood's bad boys film. I mean the big cast names are expected like the earlier films of QT, or especially like 'The Departed'. There were many who dropped out of it for various reasons prior to the production commence, although this cast did a great job. In my finding I blame for the screenplay. It was a good story, but the first half was not very interesting compared to the next half, which was so brilliant, especially towards the end, mind blowing.
It was a multi starrer film, only that's much I know, but I kind lazy to count how many were there because I thought it was a modernised and an improvised cop version of the 'Ten Little Indians' theme. There's no evidence to prove that, it is just my theory. But seeing all the deaths and the conclusion, I felt the inspiration to the writer might have been possible.
From the director of 'Lawless' who aimed for another success, but received backfire from critically and commercially. Mixed response from the audience though. Definitely it will find its own fans in the days and years to come. The ladies had scopeless roles, so they're completely forgettable their existence the narration, except very often just appear to show the faces. But well made crucial parts, in all the action sequences which kind what back the films along with Casey and Harrelson's parts.
Like there is a saying, 'slow start, but ended strong', this film belongs to the same category. If you hold your patience for nearly 2 hours long, in the end you might feel after all it was not a bad flick. So not recommended to everybody, at a same time not suggested to skip it without properly knowing about it. P.S, the closing credit song, the remix version of 'Pigs' by Cypress Hill was awesome considering the theme of the film, I mean the corrupted cops, but felt the words were strong.
6/10
Triple 9, which probably defines "an officer been shot" is full with known actors. Unfortunately it is not full of good writing or direction.
Characters don't behave realistic. They act as if they want to be in Law and Order or Training Day. Deaths happen suddenly, but mostly in an anti-climactic manner. Paranoïd characters suddenly drop their guard, and then die. It is really stupid. The opening scene starts out strong with a clever heist plan. However, one dumb character lets greed get the better of him and immediately infects other characters with his stupidity. Kate Winslet plays the **** with cleavage, and Gal Gadot walks around... and that is the definition of their characters. I fell asleep with this movie multiple times out of sheer boredom. Lots of well known actors, but none of the quality they are known for. It is an epic failure. 2/10.
Triple 9 is one film that looks promising at the start, but drops quickly and hardly even attempts to redeem itself.
The film stars a Triple A cast of Chiwetel Ejiofor, Aaron Paul, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Kate Winslet, Norman Reedus, Casey Affleck and Gal Gadot. Great line up right?
So why does this film ****?
The film starts off with a rather intriguing bank robbery, which is reasonably well paced. Blood starts pumping and you feel like you’re in for a ride. Then, it ends. Sure this is the set up for the story in a way but there was no indication to the fact that they had gotten away until suddenly they’re all in a car park. The premature end really drops you and only sets up for the films self-destructive path ahead.
The film proceeds by splitting the characters up to show the different narratives that are happening so that they can all wind up joining together later on. However, transitions between each story are never made and instead it switches from one narrative to another without any real lead in or link between them. The film becomes a cacophonic amount of events that happen that you never really get a grasp on why they happen or what significance they have; they just happen. The film becomes nauseating to watch because of this, and the criticisms don’t stop there.
The characters in the film are hardly ever given any real justice to become interesting, relatable or just understandable for their situations, which coordinates itself into making plain characters that you don’t even care for whether they live or die. Aaron Paul gets type-casted as the problematic junkie and Chiwetel is meant to be the driving force of the film but never really comes across as engaging enough for the audience to care about other than the fact that he has a son which no relationship is ever really built between. Gal Gadot gets literally about 5 minutes of screen time and is used with no taste, and Kate Winslet is just a stone-faced stereotypical Russian mob boss we’ve always seen before. Casey Affleck never really comes across as relatable due to his incessant gum chewing and Woody Harrelson gets no real background to know what kind of character he even is; he is more just there in the film the fill screen time and all his scenes seem jumbled and odd. The main actors that stick out are actually Anthony Mackie, who plays one of the crooked cops and Clifton Colin Jr, who plays his role great in seeming so calm whilst being so involved.
Where credit is due however is a section in the middle of the film in which the police storm a building with riot shields to track down a criminal, in which tension is built up well and it seems pretty realistic in how police would raid a house potentially carrying firearms.
Overall, the film is drab, pretty miserable and feels incomplete. Not even a phenomenal cast such as exhibited can save a poorly structured and written film.
A very unsatisfying and nauseating watch.
3.4/10