Since The Proposition was unleashed on audiences back in 2005, Aussie filmmaker John Hillcoat has made a name for himself as an uncompromising and ambitious auteur, bringing together A-list casts for bleak and uneasy thrillers. His latest Hollywood effort – following The Road and Lawless – dives into the grubby underground of Atlanta, where corrupt cops, ruthless bank robbers and Russian mobsters are often one and the same. A nice world this ain't. There's an unrelenting grimness to this noir-ish street saga that generates the desired mood, and the high level of dread permeating throughout proceedings maintains tension despite a predictably death-happy final act. Yet Hillcoat struggles to fully wrangle Matt Cook's twisty-turny screenplay; what could've been an intriguing web of lies, double-crosses and daring crimes becomes a less believable concoction of coincidences, plot contrivances and dubious character choices. Taking a leaflet out of Michael Mann's book of realistic action, the handful of set pieces are executed with flair, precision and unwavering violence, with an extended gun fight at the halfway point harking back to Mann's own Heat (albeit without topping it). Unfortunately the film is also let down by its vast array of players. Other than Casey Affleck's honest but worn-down cop, everyone else is evil and unpleasant to varying degrees – and rarely more than a caricature – making it hard to care about their fates. Hillcoat's menacing tone and visual ferocity ensure a certain level of interest and entertainment, but narrative and character weaknesses stop Triple 9 from being essential viewing.
