Reviewed by: Caprice Foster

Action, star power, plot twists, and suspense are the ingredients of a good heist movie. Triple 9, named for the police code 999 for officer down, has all of these pieces to create decent crime thriller. This movie equates to Training Day meets The Departed meets Takers. Its all-star cast includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Casey Affleck, Kate Winslet, Woody Harrelson, and Aaron Paul.

Set in Atlanta, the plot focuses on a band of crooked cops led by Ejifor who conduct a bank heist to appease the Russian Mob, led by mob moll Winslet, who did an excellent portrayal in the role. The group is then asked to conduct one last heist. As a way to create a diversion to pull off this new mission, the group devises a plan to murder a police officer to keep the city’s police force busy. But can they pull it off, and at what cost?

The action and suspense in the movie is great, particularly the opening scene. The entire cast is superb. The writer Mark Cook and director John Hillcoat further the story along with many interesting characters, plot revelations, and raw images along the way. However, somehow with all of its plot twists and turns, the story falls somewhat flat. A bit more character development and explanation of the characters’ history with one another would have helped enhance the story. Nonetheless, this is still a well-acted, gritty, modern day crime film and viewers will enjoy it from start to finish.

Rated R

Official Triple 9 Website