This is my review of Triple 9 (spoiler free)
Directed by John Hillcoat
Distributor: Entertainment One.
Cast: Casey Affleck, Anthony Mackie, Academy Award Nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor*, 2 time Academy Award nominee Woody Harrelson**, Aaron Paul, Academy Award Winner Kate Winslet***, Norman Reedus.
Plot: A gang of criminals and corrupt cops plan to kill an officer to pull off the biggest heist yet across the town.
Casey Affleck stars as Chris Allen the nephew of Sergeant Detective Jeffrey Allen (Harrelson) the cop behind the investigation of catching the criminals, and figuring out who the corrupt cops are. Terrell Tompkins (Ejiofor) is the leader of the corrupt cops lead by Irina Vlaslov (Winslet), Winslet's stand out performance really puts the film together kind of like in last year's Steve Jobs.
Although this dark and gritty cop thriller was almost never made by Australian director John Hillcoat (The Proposition, The Road), mainly because of production problems and loads of actors dropping out. For example Shia LeBeouf became Charlie Hunnam became Casey Affleck for Chris Allen, then Michael B. Jordan became Mackie as Marcus Atwood, Cate Blanchett replaced for Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz for Woody Harrelson.
It's courageous yet patchy in parts but still gets the story through, but not as good as Dennis Villeneuve's criminally underrated Sicario (2015) it still is a gripping and action packed adventure.
These are the reasons why I think this is a must see thriller:
Captivating set-pieces: There are several set-pieces used in the film one of them even takes the film to the next level. The main set-piece that will grab your attention is the Ram Raid around the middle of the film, that is truly an original set-piece that is very gripping.
Strong Cast: The cast really makes this film people like Chiwetel Ejiofor known 12 Years A Slave, and last years The Martian, Anthony Mackie plays The Falcon in so many Marvel films, Finally the real performance comes from Kate Winslet and her very convincing Russian accent. They make this film a must in my opinion.
Finally with the amazing action and intense set-pieces this film is like Point Break vs Sicario and is truly a once in a life time thriller that will have you gripping your seat from start finish. Although it is not for the faint-hearted.
Verdict: If you like Se7en and Animal Kingdom and very dark cop thrillers this is the film for you. 8/10 a must watch.
*Best performance by an Actor in a leading role 12 Years a Slave (2013), **Best performance by an Actor in a supporting role The Messenger (2009) & Best Actor in a Leading Role The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), ***Best Actress in a Leading Role The Reader (2008).
