Triple 9

It's strange to say the least that despite a first class cast, Hillcoat has failed to create anything more than a slightly above average genre spectacle. In truth, Triple 9 suffers from a kind of "overcasting" where the individual stars of the cast act more like staffage without adequate impact on the plot itself. It's as if John Hillcoat, after the successful Lawless, thought he'd now do a police heist with star actors for a change, except that John Hillcoat simply isn't Michael Mann, David Ayer, or Ben Affleck. The result is a kind of weird mishmash of police drama, gangster movie, and heist film that has its moments, but these are truly scarce. It's an example of wasted potential with an extremely poor Kate Winslet who has nothing to play and the scenes with her really hurt. [60%] (24/11/2020)

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% (25/04/2017)

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. (23/07/2016)

Seemingly perfect, because at first glance everything looks as it should to be a proper crime drama. It has nice covers, a stellar cast in atypical roles (Chiwetel Ejiofo, Kate Winslet), and a well-known director of cruelty behind the camera. But in the end, it only looks like that, because this heist story like The Town is just a conundrum of who survives the longest. There’s no tangible plot, and the little there is punishingly quickly wrapped up. Watching 115 minutes of mobsters, junkies, Nazis, tattooed Mexicans, etc. who's going to hit who first, a raw probe into the criminal rabble of a big American city population, it’s not bad, especially when the demon Atticus Ross plays along and that out-of-focus, volatile camera makes you feel like Ayer assisted. But script-wise, it's a complete piece of shit. (04/06/2016)

A great crime movie that would benefit from being a couple of minutes longer to make it easier to orient oneself in the story. These days it’s almost a miracle to see something so bloody with such a well thought-out storyline and such an excellent cast. Hillcoat puts on a great performance. Ejiofor is pleasant at last, and Winslet is just perfect. Triple 9 is both the purpose and the result in a thoughtful probe into the world of today’s police. This little piggy... (30/05/2016)