Engaging and thrilling right from the opening scene, Triple 9 is a deliciously dark albeit flawed neo-noir thriller. Granted, it might be literally too dark as most of the scenes either happen in poorly lit rooms or during the night. This reflects the corrupt characters we’re following and their criminal dealings. The whole style is very reminiscent of Olivier Marchal and his movies Bronx, Les Lyonnais or MR 73. While we’re still not in the style-over-substance territory, we can see the fucking sign for it. Which is a shame because this crew is really bursting with talent and skill. Director John Hillcoat (The Road, The Proposition) gathered an excellent cast led by Anthony Mackie, Casey Affleck, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. One of my favorite actors Clifton Collins Jr. was excellent and I’m already running out of space to mention Woody, Winslet, and others.
They elevated the relatively thin character development and plot to acceptable levels. If you want to see how characters in this genre should be developed I recommend you check out Craig Zahler’s movies. Both Brawl in Cell Block 99 and Dragged Across Concrete are phenomenal neo-noir movies. This doesn’t mean that Triple 9 is a bad movie. It’s a mediocre thriller with several great elements that make it really cool. Apart from the things we already mentioned, the action was juicy and exciting. From gunfights to car chases, everything felt and looked great. The world is also well built with a lot of different gangs in play. We also shouldn’t forget that this is a heist movie. Finally, we have the whole corruption angle that adds even more tension to the story.
It’s another morning on the tough streets of the city of Atlanta. Plagued by crime, gangs, poverty and corruption, it’s a dangerous city to live in. A black van with five masked men is slowly making its way towards the local bank. Heavily armed, they plan on taking the contents of a certain deposit box. They plan on taking it by force and they came fucking prepared.
The only reason why I was so hard on Triple 9 is because it had so much potential. You can feel it oozing from every element. And if you just want to have some fun watching a crime/police/heist movie, you definitely will. The opening scene is probably one of the best bank robberies I’ve ever seen. The rest of the movie was basically playing catchup. But this is all just your usual movie reviewer bullshitting. Subversive Rabbit is here to recommend good movies and Triple 9 is one of them. So, just let go of any premises you might have and enjoy the movie for what it is. It has a lot to offer and it features a distinct brooding crime atmosphere. There is enough suspense, action, and twists in the story to keep you engaged.
Director: John Hillcoat
Writer: Matt Cook
Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Kate Winslet, Clifton Collins Jr., Norman Reedus, Aaron Paul, Gal Gadot
Fun Facts: The police code “999” that the film is named after does not exist. In real life, Atlanta police use “Signal 63” to indicate an officer down/needs help.
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IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1712261/
