Triple 9 (2016)

It's as though the director was trying to combine, Heat (1995) with Colors (1988) but ended up with a film as good as neither.

It begins well with lots of action. Then slows to establish characters, and then desperately tries to speed up again but fails. It just kinda meanders to a stop rather than to an end.

The star studded line-up almost seemed to hold it back. It was as though all the A-listers demanded at least 15 minutes of screen time each, and the end result was lots of scenes which should have ended up on the editing room floor, but didn't.

A story and a cast with tonnes of potential, poorly executed.

Fmovies: 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).

The cast for this film really made me want to see this film but unfortunately this film fails to deliver. The premise of this film sees a group of bank robbers trying to make there last score with a unique method. Chiwetel ejiofor plays the main robber and he is a great actor. He does the best job possible in this role its just that his character is so unlikeable that you end up not caring about him. Casey Affleck plays the good cop in this film and He does a really good job in the role and probably gives the best performance in the film. Another good performance is by woody harrelson who plays the cop going after the crew and he gives a charismatic performance. Anthony Mackie gave some humanity to his character which made him the most likable of the crooks. Also aaron paul had an interesting role in the film that I kind of wished had been fleshed out a little more. The story is pretty by the numbers with not much new. There are some good relationships developed but overall pretty basic. Thev script was very dull and boring with not much going on either dramatically or humour wise. The style had some really good suspense to it that had me on the edge of my seat. But the film is a drag at times and goes on for a bit too long. Overall this is a really average movie that I wouldn't say is worth seeing.

Triple 9 fmovies. All right, I see you coming "3/10 he's severe!" Well, this movie is too contrasted as it first shows you a very promising story with a pretty famous cast but as the film goes you get more and more frustrated...

Triple 9 fails to deliver the story, very too often I felt that the acting was poor except for Woody Harrelson, maybe it's because he played True Detective and it reminds me of a great season one of the TV-Series. That said, as the story goes on, you barely understand the links between the characters, neither their true motive. Chiwetel Ejiofor was the most disappointing as to me he really didn't fit in his role, he didn't convince me at all. Kate Winslet was also not fit to be this ruthless Russian mob boss (or wife as we don't understand for sure...). Many scenes are also totally random and makes you feel awkward.

There was good parts and good ideas but very not well exploited. Too bad !

I went into this movie with high expectations, but alas, I was let down. Good actors and a plausible story, but inevitably Triple 9 fails to deliver. There are no characters I could really root for with the possible exception of Casey Affleck (just a little). I found myself yawning several times throughout - it just didn't hold my interest. No real back story so it's hard to fathom what these characters are really all about. Some sexy girls, guys with tattoos and attitude and bad cops. The bank robbery at the beginning was the most exciting part and it's downhill from there. Somehow I didn't buy Kate Winslet as a badass. The best line in the film was Woody Harrelson's reference to the Kosher Nostra - that actually got a few laughs. Don't say you weren't warned.

Worth a look if you like urban action. There's a lot of action. The good guys and bad guys are really blurred but that's a modern flick for you. The police gang unit team line up to go after a gang member in group housing, up stairs and into the apartment was legendary. Great camera work. You felt like you were lined up with them. Worth the price of admission. After viewing, very few audience members would want to A: Become a police officer in Atlanta, B: Be tasked with arresting a gang member who knows you're coming. Adrenaline time. That's the good, along with plenty of recognizable actors doing representative jobs with what they have to work with. Now for the Not as Good: The plot is there but it is ephemeral. You can kind of follow it but the exposition makes you strain for it. I'd like to say that's on purpose to add an element of mystery but I'm not real sure that's so. Not a thinking person's movie. I've seen worse plots but the bones don't hold up the body to make it recognizable enough, at least for me. By the end you can figure it all out but it isn't built up a block at a time. I enjoyed it and gave it a 7 but it's about a 7.5. Maybe a triple 7?