Triple 9 didn’t exactly fulfill its potential given the cast and a solid start yet still it’s very entertaining with some well shot action scenes and fine performances by Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie and Clifton Collins Jr. who at times steals the show.
Triple 9
(2016)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Action, Crime, Drama
Universal | R – 116 min. – $34.98 | May 31, 2016
Date Published: 05/29/2016 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE – 4.0/5 |
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** NOTE: This review contains MAJOR SPOILERS ** Triple 9 is a film that probably could’ve been, considering its all-star cast, an epic crime-thriller perhaps not along the lines of Heat but certainly something noteworthy in the genre. As it stands, although it is very uneven, the film does feature some fine performances and compelling enough to make it entertaining.
The film opens with a bank robbery, its crew made up of a gangster, a couple crooked cops and an ex cop gone bad: Michael Atwood (CHIWETEL EJIOFOR), Marcus Belmont (ANTHONY MACKIE), Franco Rodriguez (CLIFTON COLLINS JR.), Russell Welch (NORMAN REEDUS) and his little brother, the ex cop, Gabe (AARON PAUL). At first, the robbery goes off without a hitch until Gabe goes off-script stealing cash not part of the plan, setting off a red dye pack which blinds the getaway driver and leads to a shootout on an Atlanta freeway. Heading up the investigation to find this crew, which had struck in the past, is Captain Jeffrey Allen (WOODY HARRELSON), a quirky SOB but one who has the nose to find this crew and even surmising some could be cops. His nephew Chris Allen (CASEY AFFLECK) has transferred to a new unit and saddled with Belmont, but the two get off to a rocky start that doesn’t get any better.
Meanwhile, in spite of getting the object they were hired to steal, Atwood and his crew don’t get paid and are offered a new job to steal something being held by the Department of Homeland Security, a mission Atwood is forced to accept as his son is being held by his scorned girlfriend and mother of their child (GAL GADOT) while her sister, Irina Vlaslov (KATE WINSLET), is the queen pin of the entire operation, and what a cruel and conniving bitch she is. In order to pull off this latest heist they need more time than usual and a plan is concocted to have an officer killed which sets off a 999 call that will basically send the entire police force to the location allowing the crew to pull off the job. And the poor soul chosen to be murdered? None other than Belmont’s despised partner, Chris Allen. Triple 9 isn’t perfect and certainly with the story on paper and such an impressive cast could’ve been great, yet at the same time I’d be lying if I didn’t say I wasn’t enthralled with the plot and a gang of morally bent characters (for the most part) and featuring fine performances that include Casey Affleck (whom I’m becoming more of a fan of over the years), Chiwetel Ejiofor playing a bad mo-fo as well as Anthony Mackie, Clifton Collins Jr. (who at times steals the show) and Kate Winslet, not to mention Woody Harrelson who at times appeared to be in a different movie, though he still provides for at least a fun time.
Helmed by John Hillcoat (The Road), the film has some well directed action sequences starting with the opening bank heist sequence that unfortunately outshines any of the other scenes including the finale at the DHS facility. Still, while the direction might not measure up in comparisons with the greats like Mann or Scorsese, nor is the screenplay, by Matt Cook (making his feature-length debut), as well written, Triple 9 is still worth at least the price of a rental. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 1.5/5 |
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This release comes with a textured, title-embossed, slip cover. Inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. Deleted Scenes (7:54; HD) – There are four scenes that were excised from the final cut, nothing of particular note but there are some more dramatic character moments. Under the Gun (2:43; HD) is an EPK featurette that doesn’t really delve that deep, just features some short interview clips with the cast discussing the plot and characters. An Authentic World (2:41; HD) is more of the same, just about filming it to keep it gritty and real with more snippets by the cast and director. |
VIDEO – 4.5/5 |
| Triple 9 takes the call on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal Studios Home Entertainment. The movie is shown in its original theatrical 2.40 widescreen aspect ratio and given a respectable 1080p high-definition transfer (MPEG-4 AVC codec). The style comes through so nicely with good colors, such as the blood red from the dye early on, while darkly lit scenes are nice and stark, showing no signs of artifacting or aliasing while detail looks sharp. There is some noise but nothing distracting and only adds to the theatrical-like experience. |
AUDIO – 4.5/5 |
| The movie was given a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which especially shows off during the 3-4 action-centric sequences including the opening bank heist where gunshots ring out providing some good depth through each channel. The center speaker is mostly relegated for dialogue which sounds clear and the rears for ambient noises as well as the score from Atticus Ross and company. |
OVERALL – 4.25/5 |
| Overall, Triple 9 didn’t exactly fulfill its potential given the cast and a solid start yet still it’s very entertaining with some well shot action scenes and fine performances by Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie and Clifton Collins Jr. who at times steals the show. The Blu-ray released through Universal is limited in the features department but the video and audio transfers are both well done. |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.