|
Triple 9 - 3.5/4
The box cover and title of this exceptional heist thriller undermine the sales potential and render it an easy walk-past on the sales shelf. Thank fucking God Sicario made me stop caring about movie covers so much or I fear I would never have gotten round to watching this.
Triple 9 is a remarkably well made film. As far as heist movies with car chases and gunfights go this really is up there and John Hillcoat just keeps proving that he can make any action work for him. The visceral, shocking suddenness of The Proposition's gunplay gets an HD touch up and a modern wardrobe and means of transport; the up close and personal horrors of Lawless are turned onto a contemporary city block which oozes impurity and who's civilians carry a greater indifference rather than a wisely turned blind eye.
This is a movie to be constantly surprised by and honestly it's miles ahead of the choppily paced The Town which is itself a damned good film. If you like films that push forward and never stop or stall then Triple 9 is a good shout.
Chiwetel Eijiofor, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie and Casey Affleck are all in a high gear and they are clearly enjoying the material as a rare high quality filler job between prestige projects or blockbusters.
The obvious downside to this great movie is Kare Winslet's horrendous accent. Somebody told her she could do accents, probably the same idiot that told Nicole Kidman but no. Stick to the Jack Nicholson approach and don't stretch yourselves ladies, it takes me out of a film when I hear someone trying an accent on for size.
Also who the fuck cast Winslet as Gal Gadot's sister? Egregious errors are abundant in the female side of this film but who cares, they are small parts that should have been rewritten to save minor embarrassment.
|