‘Triple 9,’ the latest feature
from director John Hillcoat, is a hard-boiled cat-and-mouse crime thriller in
the tradition of ‘Point Break,’ ‘Heat,’ ‘The Town’ and ‘The Departed.’ Fans of the Australian auteur (‘Lawless,’
‘The Road’ and ‘The Proposition’) will no doubt find much to like in ‘Triple 9’
(the law enforcement code for “Officer Down!”) because it is every bit as dark,
violent and amoral as his previous films.
‘Triple 9’ centers on a team of
professional criminals, two of whom are crooked Atlanta's finest while the other
three are ex-military and former Blackwater employees. The movie kicks off with a bang as our team
of red-masked bad guys armed with military assault rifles and other gear rob a
bank and make good their escape. But it
isn’t simply a daring cash grab in broad daylight and a “fuck you” to the cops
a la’ ‘Heat,’ oh no. Our robbers are under
the thumb of the Russian mob in the guise of Irina Vlaslov (Kate Winslet with
a faux Russian accent). The bank robbery
was only the easy part, as our unfortunate team finds out when they’re given
their next impossible mission.
If you like edgy, ultraviolent
and nihilistic crime noir with its share of twists and double-crosses, ‘Triple
9’ will not disappoint. The movie’s
talented ensemble includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Casey
Affleck, Aaron Paul, Norman Reedus and Woody Harrelson, who made the most out
of his limited screen time as the jaded pot-smoking Atlanta police detective
sergeant assigned to apprehend the criminals.
The most despicable evil villain in the movie, however, isn’t Kate the
ruthless Russian mafiosa but the corrupt homicide detective played by
Clifton Collins, Jr., whose Franco Rodriguez would make even Vic Mackey look
positively saintly by comparison.
Grade: A
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