Triple 9 is the latest film by Australian director John Hillcoat (Lawless, The Road). Set in America ’s Deep South , it follows a group of corrupt cops who are employed by the Russian mafia to carry out a dangerous heist operation on a Homeland Security building.
On the other side of the coin are the ‘good’ cops trying to bring them down: these include Casey Affleck’s hard-nosed detective Chris Allen and his uncle, the frequently drug-addled Jeffrey Allen (Woody Harrelson).
Apart from the actors already mentioned, Triple 9 stars an impressive ensemble of Chiwetel Ejiofor, Aaron Paul, Norman Reedus and Kate Winslet (who plays the wife of a Russian mobster and who adopts exactly the same accent she affected in Steve Jobs.)
With its story of corrupt cops living a double life, Triple 9 brings to mind Martin Scorsese’s The Departed. Like that film, Triple 9 has a wonderfully gritty tone and a story that takes some nicely unexpected turns. It doesn’t, however, have the same narrative smarts as The Departed; nor does it – with the exception of Harrelson’s detective – have any well defined and interesting characters to match the ones in Scorsese’s thriller.
Triple 9 is a competently made film that doesn’t quite live up to its aspirations.
Star Rating: 3/5
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