Triple 9 - Movie Review

John Hillcoat’s Triple 9 sees Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave) playing a bad-ass alongside a team of thieves and corrupt cops who find themselves in the deep end of organized crime.

‘999’ is led by a notable cast, which include Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead), Clifton Collins Junior (Star Trek), and Anthony Mackie (Captain America). After the enraging death of one of the crew, Chiwetel’s character is forced to take on a near impossible task of stealing some files for the Russian mob, headed by Kate Winslet, whose self-consciously languid cigarette-smoking bring a slight element humor to the otherwise gritty two-hour thriller.

Daryl and Jesse as brothers?! If you’re a fan of Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead you’ll know what we mean. It makes for an interesting watch when two iconic TV characters come together to pull off mission impossible, but we’ll leave our fantasy of a Breaking Bad and TWD crossover at the door. Yet to transcend typecasting, Aaron Paul’s character felt a little like Jesse’s long-lost twin, only he’s not driving around the desert making meth in an RV; though refreshing seeing Norman Reedus looking well-scrubbed for once.

In order to successfully pull off the heist, the authorities must be distracted elsewhere. Their solution is to pull a “triple 9” AKA as an “officer down” call. Casey Affleck plays partner to one of our corrupt cops. Targeted as the “mark”, uncertainty, betrayal and fear embroil the team after he survives the attack. Like dominoes, bodies fall one after the other. Filled with enough nudity even HBO might re-evaluate it’s airing, Triple 9 will hold your attention, unapologetically throwing you shocker after shocker.

With enough blood, guns, boobs, and over-saturation to keep you desensitized for a while, could you survive with not seeing this film? Probably, as it rarely strays into a field of originality. We’ve seen the decaying results of inner-city demographics before. Triple 9 serves no further purpose, other than to further perpetuate negative stereotypes. Even Woody Harrelson plays a familiar role, that of a corrupt southern cop with very few ethical boundaries.

With its testosterone-fueled shoot-outs and not-so-subtle decapitations, Triple 9 might be a film you’d stay in and watch on a Friday night, but, despite its top-notch cast, there’s little here to lure you to your nearest multiplex. With its electric score and rough aesthetic, Triple 9 is definitely for fans of the no-nonsense, straight-to-point action thrillers – think Oceans 11, Inside Man, and The Equalizer all wrapped into one – but this would seem to be a case of identity theft.