Ben Oliver

Banner image for Triple 9
film

Triple 9

It’s the kosher-nostra.
21 February 2016

A group of criminals and corrupt cops plan the murder of a police officer - a ‘triple 9’ - to serve as a distraction for a heist.

The opening 15 minutes of Triple 9 takes us on a tense thrill ride as our group of criminals attempt a heist that begins to go off the rails. Then unfortunately it’s not until the last fifteen minutes that anything happens of any interest again.

Hillcoat tries to sustain an edgy, gritty tone and in doing so manages to lull us almost to sleep. We’re supposed to feel like we’re building up to something big but instead it’s more like we are waiting for something to happen.

There’s little else to say. The cast has some heavyweights doing decent work but it’s not enough to really make Triple 9 anything special. It’s a run of the mill heist thriller that takes itself too seriously, saved by a couple of flashes of brilliance.

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