Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kate Winslet, Clifton Collins, Jr., Gal Gadot, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Teresa Palmer, Aaron Paul, and Norman Reedus. That kind of extraordinary cast usually only assembles for movies that are definite awards contenders, not pulpy cop thrillers. And yet that's the level of talent John Hillcoast has managed to pull together for Triple 9, which is at the top of my list of movies to see in 2016.
A new trailer only makes more of a case for the film which centers on a team of crooked cops who have their heist plans ruined by an unsuspecting rookie officer. We've come to expect Hillcoat's films to be testosterone fueled and full of machismo, so it's kind of a nice twist to see Winslet as the meanest, toughest character of all. Here's the official synopsis:
In TRIPLE 9, a crew of dirty cops is blackmailed by the Russian mob to execute a virtually impossible heist. The only way to pull it off is to manufacture a 999, police code for “officer down”. Their plan is turned upside down when the unsuspecting rookie they set up to die foils the attack, triggering a breakneck, action-packed finale filled with double-crosses, greed and revenge.
Hillcoat's highest-grossing film was 2012's Lawless at only $37M, which is a crying shame for the director of The Road and The Proposition. Triple 9 opens on February 26th and has a shot at being Hillcoat's first big hit.
