Nothing like an actor blowing viewers' preconceptions right out of the water - think Ben Kingsley in Sexy Beast, Charlize Theron in Monster or Johnny Depp in Black Mass. And to that list we can now add Kate Winslet as Russian mob missus Irina in Triple 9. If you like your crime flicks grim and gritty you'll be able to fill your boots here. It's directed by John Hillcoat - the man behind Lawless, The Road and The Proposition - and from the muscle to the central characters there's a multitude of cut-throats on screen. Winslet's is the most terrifying of them all.
Fighting the good fight is Casey Affleck's Chris Allen, a former soldier now doing battle as a rookie detective on the mean streets of Atlanta. Allen is impulsive and wants to make a difference but would do well to heed his detective uncle Jeffrey's (Harrelson) advice: "Keep your head on a swivel, out monster the monster and go home at the end of the night." Because Chris is working with some very ruthless people - and they're nothing compared to the ones calling the shots.
Like Lawless in 2012, Triple 9 (the title is explained in the movie - we're giving nothing away) is brilliant in some places and disappointing in others. There's a great opening and some nerve-shredding scenes further down the line, but with such a big cast of 'faces' the characterisation suffers. We get to know Ejiofor's wanted man far better than Affleck's heart-on-sleeve hero, while Winslet, Harrelson and Paul - here playing the kind of character synonymous with Elisha Cook Jr - don't get half enough screen time. Because it's trying to tell the story from both sides there are effectively two endings, and one is far more satisfying than the other.
Hillcoat should think about the bigger canvas of TV as Triple 9 shows there is a classic cops and robbers saga in him. In the meantime, here's hoping Winslet gets her hands dirty with more of this kind of stuff - she's so good at being bad.
Harry Guerin
