Triple 9

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. (2017-03-18)

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... (2016-05-30)

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%] (2020-11-24)

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% (2017-04-25)

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. (2016-06-06)