Everyone is doomed from the start of Triple 9, indebted to the wrong people or clinging to nonviable moral ideals on the mean streets of Atlanta.
The city is on full display during the opening sequence, a daylight bank heist and subsequent rollicking pursuit over a freeway bridge that recalls Deadpool鈥檚 intro pileup. The well-orchestrated chase becomes more visually arresting after a coloured smoke bomb goes off inside the car, leaving a bright red smoke trail that nicely foreshadows the bloodshed to come.
Also with a penchant for red is bleached-blonde Kate Winslet as Russian Jewish mafia matriarch Irina Vlaslov, working stateside to secure the release of her husband from the gulag. Not sure how she鈥檚 raising the bail money but it involves people stuffed in car trunks and bags full of fingers or teeth, possibly both.
Michael Atwood (Chiwetel Ejiofor) had some business with the Russians back in his special-ops days and is now permanently and lamentably intertwined with the crime family, and at Irina鈥檚 beck and call. Dissatisfied with the bank job, Irina coerces Michael into one last seemingly impossible heist guaranteed to wipe the slate clean.
There鈥檚 never one last job, as any self-respecting heist movie-fan knows. Michael once again rounds up his crew of corrupt cops and ex-soldiers, including Markus (Anthony Mackie), Russel and his unpredictable little brother Gabe (Norman Reedus, Aaron Paul) and cool cop Franco Rodriguez (Clifton Collins Jr.).
Enter Chris Allen (Casey Affleck), a cop fresh off crossing-guard-calibre duty who swaggers into the precinct ready to make his drunken uncle, senior cop Jeffrey Allen (Woody Harrelson), proud. Chris is partnered up with Michael, fresh off the bank heist. No time for this film to become a buddy movie: it鈥檚 decided that Chris will be the sacrificial lamb to facilitate Irina鈥檚 job.
The target is a heavily guarded Department of Homeland Security building that houses sensitive information awaiting transfer. The job can only go down with a diversion tactic known as triple 9, cop-talk code for an officer down. With all those officers swarming the cop-killer suspect, there won鈥檛 be many eyes left on Michael and the boys.
A 999 goes down, though not necessarily as planned. And it all comes down to the hunt for one dirty cop: but which one?
John Hillcoat鈥檚 film is macho, moody cop thriller stuffed with some standout performances (Michael K. Williams in a small role as Sweet Pea), some very fancy stunt driving, and a relentlessly
Where Hillcoat (Lawless, The Road) falls short is in his portrayal of women in the film (Gal Gadot, Teresa Palmer), which may account for screenplay鈥檚 lack of heart, just as he fails to provide sufficient back story or motivation for his characters鈥� misdeeds. With optimism in short supply and Hillcoat鈥檚 gloomy scenarios so effective, the film that starts with a bang feels like a misfire by the end credits.
Triple 9 opens Friday.
