Triple 9 

Starring: Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Woody Harrelson, Kate Winslet, Anthony Mackie Clifton Collins Jr., Aaron Paul, Norman Reedus, Gal Gadot

Directed by: John Hillcoat

Written by: Matt Cook

Reviewed by: Joshua Ochoa

[rating: 2.5/5]

Triple 9 is the latest film from Queensland born Australian filmmaker John Hillcoat. He is well known for his previous films The Proposition (2005), The Road (2009) and Lawless (2012). Based on a screenplay from Matt Cook (The Escape Plan, Robocop), the film follows a gang of bank robbers, whose members include two corrupt cops. They’re stuck working for the Russian Mafia as their leader Michael (Ejiofor) has a son with the sister of the boss’ wife Irina (Winslet) who uses her sister and Michael’s son to control them. In order to do their last job for the Russians the gang must create a distraction by killing a police officer, this is known as a Triple 9.

As a big fan of Hillcoat’s previous films I was really looking forward to seeing his latest. Unfortunately, for a director with so much talent Triple 9 is a disappointment. Simply, it’s a ‘generic’ cops and robbers thriller. Some sequences are impressive, and the cast is strong but, without a compelling screenplay, there really isn’t much to hold your attention.

Throughout, there are eight main characters and giving each of them enough screen time to make you either ‘care’ or understand them is difficult. The film suffers from a lack of character development. Several key players are reduced to ‘cliches’.

Affleck is under used, which is a shame because he’s an underrated actor at the best of times. Woody Harrelson is almost incomprehensible, mumbling beyond belief. Ejiofor and Mackie come off best, though Winslet’s accent is just a bit too distracting.

We’ve all seen corrupt cop thrillers. Tripe 9 fails to stand out from the crowed genre. Several heist sequences and police exercises in the film are executed well. It’s here Hillcoat shines. The music from Atticus Ross (The Social Network, Gone Girl) is also good and pulse pounding, keeping the momentum going in a film that is too long. For Hillcoat this outing ain’t bad .… but it’s nothing special either.