Are ugly, vile movies. “Triple 9”is the latter.Turning his interest in macho nihilism that he explored more effectively in “The Proposition”and even the flawed “Lawless” to bank robbers and the Russian mob, director John Hillcoat again assembles a stunning cast of household names and proceeds to waste almost all of their talents on an under-lit, increasingly ridiculous, generally ineffective dirty cop movie. It is a film that cribs openly fromMichael MannandSidney Lumetwithout understanding what really makes either director work. Occasionally, the overwhelmingtalent of the cast will elevate the material, but not nearly enough to shake the feeling when it’s done that you could use a shower.The best scene in “Triple 9” is arguably its firstreal set-piece, the robbery of a downtown Atlanta bank by former special ops mastermind Michael Atwood ( Chiwetel Ejiofor) , dirty cop #1 Marcus Belmont ( Anthony Mackie) , dirty cop #2 Jorge Rodriguez ( Clifton Collins Jr.) , getaway man Russel Welch ( Norman Reedus) , and his brother Gabe ( AaronPaul) , a character who might as well being wearing a red shirt and named “Future Liability.” Hillcoat and cinematographerNicolas Karakatsanis( “The Drop”) frame the bank robbery beautifully, taking us from the high-pressure of the vault to the getaway gone wrong after a red dye pack explodes. It’s tense, well-shot and sets up the audience for a high stakes thriller that never comes.
