Triple 9

After a striking debut with The Proposition, Australian director John Hillcoat has settled into a gruff, deadly serious competence. Triple 9 is Hillcoat’s third grimly serviceable film in a row, following The Road and Lawless, although he’s once again put together a shockingly good cast. Four Oscar-nominated actors (Kate Winslet, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Casey Affleck and Woody Harrelson) and a supporting team of excellent character actors and promising talent (Anthony Mackie, Aaron Paul, Norman Reedus, Gal Gadot, Clifton Collins Jr., Michael Kenneth Williams) assemble for a film that is the dictionary definition of “wait for VOD.” Dirty Atlanta cops in too deep with the Russian mob pull off increasingly dangerous bank heists, while a wide-eyed rookie (Affleck) and his dogged but drug-addled uncle (Harrelson, having fun) threaten to blow the deal. The heist scenes are handled well, but the good cop/bad cop stuff feels rote, and the performances are largely leashed to clichés. D.B.