Beka P., Here…

Hold onto your seats! Triple 9 is a non-stop action-packed film that definitely delivers. Within the first ten minutes you are sucked into a high intensity bank heist that rolls right into one of the best get away scenes I’ve seen in a long time. It’s so intense that you aren’t really sure where the rest of the movie is going to go, but have no fear, there’s plenty of nail biting left to do.

It’s soon revealed that the masterminds are actually a crew of dirty cops who have taken to the streets. The crew is being blackmailed by a leader of the Russian mob who is currently in prison, hoping to be released with information provided by them. The mobster’s day to day life is being run by his wife, played by Kate Winslet, who is almost unrecognizable as a cold-hearted Russian Jew who has no problem taking someone out. After the bank heist goes a bit haywire, the crew thinks they have satisfied their debt, but they’re told they have one last job to do.

The last job of course is near impossible; that is unless they come up with a plan to make all the police in the city essentially look the other way. Enter the “Triple 9.” A 999 code over the radio signals an officer down, which means most of the police force will converge on that area. So who goes down? Does their plan work? Who makes it out alive?

Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Chiwetel Ejiofer, Anthony Mackie, Clifton Collins Jr. and Aaron Paul star in this gritty John Hillcoat cop film that’s more about greed, revenge and self-preservation than anything else. There are interesting dichotomies between good cop and bap cop- those that want to make a difference and those that are taking absolute advantage of their position.

But there are also glimpses of the middle ground- good people making bad decisions and in turn bad people making good decisions. What’s cool about this movie is that in between the loud, intense, sometimes overpowering moments of violence, there are moments of reality that are incredibly recognizable.  It’s an enjoyable movie for sure- and while some things you may see coming, you definitely are in for some surprises. Check out ‘Triple 9’. 

4 out of 5 stars

– Beka Perlstein