Film: Triple 9
What We Know So Far: A vicious criminal organization mixed with some equally corrupt cops become entangled with the Russian mafia, who are blackmailing them mercilessly. To put an end to it, they stage an elaborate, near impossible heist that requires two stages: the murder of a rookie officer (Casey Affleck) to distract the police and the actual robbery, which will go unchallenged if done right. Of course, things don’t go according to plan when Affleck survives and begins to fight back.
The Trailer (Official #1 RED BAND) Warning: The following clip contains brief nudity and graphic images. NSFW
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6vSEQ7xv6U?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0&w=620&h=315]
Our Take
Dan: First impression: this trailer is so energetic it leaves you winded. This cops and robbers mashup looks like it borrows the best from genre heavyweights like The Town (2010), Heat (1995), and Training Day (2001). Woody Harrelson sets the stage, talking to an idealistic young cop (Casey Affleck) in a dark and shady bar. He gleefully pats Affleck on the cheek, “You ain’t gonna make a difference . . . Your job is to out-monster the monster, and get home at the end of the night.” No nonsense, like the rest of this trailer. The impeccable ensemble cast mixes the best of features, with Oscar nominees Chiwetel Ejiofor and Kate Winslet; and TV’s fan favourite bad boys, with Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead) and Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad). John Hillcoat (The Proposition) photographs this like he shot on film. The darker aesthetics really help set a bleak mood. With the strong visuals and strong cast of cops & robbers, this feels like True Detective the movie.
David: Slightly reminiscent of Michael Mann’s Heat (1995), this violent caper film looks to follow that still massively influential movie while catering to the new dark and seedy contemporary flavor. Exceedingly gritty and harrowing, the trailer appears to go ultra-realistic in its portrayal of a city in chaos. The cast is sharp and it’s good to see the likes of Aaron Paul, Anthony Mackie, and Chiwetel Ejiofor sharing screen time. Some of my favorite movies are of the 1970s, which brought cops and robbers movies down into the streets. Films like 3 Days of the Condor (1975), The French Connection (1971), The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) and Serpico (1973) are gritty and feel authentic. In the 80s and 90s, with a few exceptions, like Heat, that shifted to more macho heroism and over-the-top action that made this genre a parade of silly action stories. Triple 9 looks to be a kind of callback to those days with a modern filmmaking sheen. It’s a world you know must exist and is endlessly fascinating to watch while feeling thankful not be anywhere near it. Triple 9 should be shocking, scary, violent, and exceptionally satisfying.
What to Look For in the Trailer
Dan Says: The trailer starts off slow, but is perfectly orchestrated. After the stage is set, fluorescent paint drops from an apartment highrise onto a cop car below, cueing a nursery rhyme that will drive the rest of this trailer with a pounding Cyprus Hill-like hip hop beat. We hear “This Lil’ Piggy” play over scenes of violence and carnage. The rhythm climaxes during a frenetic shootout on a freeway overpass. My Sneak Peek Moment is when coloured smoke blooms, a masked man exits the vehicle, and storms the freeway with a machine gun. This imagery matched with the beat of the music was pure cinematic enjoyment. I thought the trailer was over and then this Moment occurs with a quick flash of foreplay before the ballet of bullets. I can’t wait to see this grown-up action thriller. Simply put: Triple 9 looks awesome.
David Says: While the trailer is packed with some truly great moments, The Sneak Peek Moment goes to Irene (Kate Winslet), a Russian mafia leader who is voiceless in the trailer but speak volumes with her actions. Sleek and sexy, she is also frighteningly menacing, especially at one point where she oversees a car trunk stuffed with two bound and bleeding prisoners, a man and a woman, who are clearly in for worse times. One of Irene’s henchmen holds up a plastic baggie half filled with human teeth and drops on the two doomed victims. As their mouths are taped shut and soaked in blood, one wonders if the teeth are theirs, meaning their bodies won’t be identified, or is it a kind of warning. Would love to hear from the readers with some theories. Either way, Irene looks to be the kingpin in much of what is happening and a woman not to be trifled with. I’m keeping my eye on this one.
