Triple 9

Olivier Marchal, David Ayer, Shawn Ryan, James Ellroy and, last but not least, Don Winslow are the big names of dirty harsh criminal movies about corrupt police officers in the movies/series/literature. And with this feature-length debut, Matt Cook enters the same room with them. He lags behind but only a little bit. Yes, it has such potential. It's a pity that it´s conflicting with Hillcoat's concept, because chose the wrong pace of narration. Considering how much is happening and on how many levels, it gives you feeling that it´s way too lengthy. I´m not saying boring, not at all. But this movie was supposed to be an adrenaline-fueled ride driven by inner tension and not a slow-paced something that looks like nothing is really going on. But even that being said, it´s exceptional in terms of genre. And even more considering that similar movies were almost exclusively made as series. (05/31/2016)

Now I can say that John Hillcoat has a knack for crime films because Triple 9 succeeded in almost every aspect. I still have Lawless categorized as his best film, but Triple 9 comes pretty close. For 16 million dollars, it’s a solid detective story that boasts a very good atmosphere with gritty moments, a stellar cast, and also some interesting twists. The atmosphere is truly captivating, at times I’d even say grand. You’ll hardly find an actor you don’t recognize by name. Ejiofor slightly changed his image, but his character was great. The biggest surprise for me was probably Clifton Collins Jr., as he portrayed the role of the treacherous and deceitful "detective" excellently. I’d also praise the musical score, which added even more intensity to the film. And I almost forgot about Winslet. Would you ever cast her as a ruthless Russian mobster? I certainly wouldn’t, but she surprisingly proved me wrong. The script is above average, though it does contain a few holes. The film's quality is mostly balanced throughout its runtime, but it’s missing that touch of perfection to convince me of a full five stars. After Sleepless, this is a detective film I can still recommend. Rating: 79% (04/24/2017)

Triple 9 offers a fairly authentic excursion into the dirty streets of Atlanta, which are full of ruthless mobsters, dangerous gangs and corrupt cops. Even though the situation is portrayed quite believably, there was still something missing and I personally would have shortened the running time a bit. As far as the cast is concerned, I was mostly satisfied, (as always) especially with Kate Winslet, who really suited the villain role and had an absolutely great accent. (06/06/2016)

Many great or at least very good actors, violence and action, and a story about how everyone is a jerk and a bastard. Almost everyone. Or is it indeed everyone? And on top of that, there's the brilliant Kate Winslet, who's a bitch but so stunning that you can't take your eyes off her. Still, it’s a failed film that fortunately quickly evaporated from my mind. (07/22/2016)

If I leave aside the fact that this film offers rather solid action scenes, I wouldn’t know what else I should talk about in this case. Triple 9 had a great cast of actors and it didn’t manage to work with them well enough for me to get used to any single one of them at least for a while. Instead, the movie focuses on a band of nasty Hispanic guys who make life miserable both for the group of familiar actors and for ourselves. And that’s a world I don’t need to see. (03/18/2017)