9 Cop Movies You Should Watch Instead of ‘Triple 9’

Attention all filmmakers: grit is not substance. Grit is what you put on top of substance to give it texture. The new cop thriller Triple 9 is such a dour and earthy experience that, if you’re not paying terribly close attention, it might even seem important. But it’s just a generic police drama and heist flick that’s full of stock character types and plot points we have seen before, over and over again, in better movies.

Ordinarily this is where I would go into detail about Triple 9, but the movie is so completely unremarkable that all of our time would best be spent doing something else. Suffice it to say John Hillcoat’s drama has a suspenseful premise but no suspense to speak of. A group of corrupt cops and ex-paramilitary personnel are forced by the Russian mafia to pull off a heist so dangerous, the only way to get away with it is to distract the entire police force by murdering one of their own. But instead of focusing on this disturbing idea, Triple 9 gets distracted by subplots and side quests and neglects to give their chosen victim, a rookie played by Casey Affleck, the screen time he needs to be worth saving.

Also: Interview | John Hillcoat on Grit, Rap Battles and ‘Triple 9’

Everything else about Triple 9, from the great actors in over the top roles (Kate Winslet, Michael Kenneth Williams, Woody Harrelson) to the overwrought melodrama (dead brothers, deadbeat dads) is so familiar and conventional that I spent the majority of the film wishing I was watching practically any other cop movie. By the time I realized that Predator 2 was a more interesting and salient commentary on both urban crime and the plight of our police, I decided Triple 9 was no longer worthy of a full review.

So instead, I have compiled a list of great cop movies that you should watch instead of Triple 9. If you haven’t seen any of these films, they will probably blow your minds. If you’ve seen every single one of them, just watch them again and your time will still be better spent. Triple 9 isn’t one of the worst cop movies ever made, far from it, but it’s so unremarkable that I just can’t recommend it in good conscience. I recommend these films instead.

9 Cop Movies I Wish I’d Watched Instead of ‘Triple 9’

Top Photo: Open Road Films

William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and watch him on the weekly YouTube series Most Craved and What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.

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