The film started with full on action and almost confusion, but got better as the plot progressed. With nods to Reservoir Dogs and TV's The Shield, the pace and plot made this film worth the effort. Kate Winslet hams it as the Russian Mafia boss, and Woody Harrelson is morphing into a mumbling Marlon. Russian Mafia v street gangs v bad cops v good cops. Lots of violence and collateral damage, not for the squeamish, and shoot outs galore. A very strong cast are given free rein, and even the bit characters are allowed depth of personalities. This is far from the American Dream, and the squalid underbelly of downtown city life is frighteningly real. In the hands of Quentin Tarantino this would have been a very different film but the lack of humour adds to wind up the tension. There is no release valve until the bloody climax.
Review of Triple 9
