Thursday, January 5, 2017

Triple 9

Actors: Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Aaron Paul, Clifton Collins Jr., Norman Reedus, Teresa Palmer, Michael K. Williams, Gal Gadot, Woody Harrelson, Kate Winslet
Rating: 7 out of 10, A very gritty crime film set in Atlanta featuring one of the best casts I’ve seen in a while. That could be part of the problem because while everybody was good, Kate Winslet and Woody Harrelson always left me wanting to see more of their scenes. I didn’t even recognize Winslet who played a Russian crime lord, of all things, and was more menacing than I’ve ever seen her. I had a bad night for actor recognition because it took me almost half the movie to realize Aaron Paul and Casey Affleck were different characters. That goes straight to the editing and the lighting which were challenging at times. The plot revolves around corrupt cops brought into an elite robbery team which is held in thrall by the Russian mob. There’s circles within circles as each of the cops, on both sides of the law, are dealing with their own demons. I ended up liking the movie a lot when I figured out who everybody was but again, that was more of a struggle than it should have been. There were some great action scenes, expertly staged and a climax that was singing with tension. It’s not Heat but a very enjoyable crime drama.

MVP: Mackie as Marcus Belmont, a conflicted corrupt cop

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