Reviews

The impossibly bleak "Triple 9" is directed by John Hillcoat who, in the past, has worked with some pretty sombre material in ultra-hopeless films like "The Road". He's also worked with a cast of big-name actors in the western thriller "Lawless", something which he of course brings to this star-studded feature as well. The cast here is almost too long to list; reliable performers such as Casey Affleck, a.k.a Batman's brother, and Chiwetel Ejiofor are probably the leads, A- Listers Woody Harrelson and Kate Winslet are given supporting roles, and "Triple 9" also features some television icons in the form of Aaron Paul, known for his role as Jesse in "Breaking Bad", and Norman Reedus, the almost invincible, crossbow-wielding hero Daryl Dixon from "The Walking Dead". The story, which attempts to cover a whole lot of ground, follows a band of criminals, lead by Ejiofor's Michael Belmont, who find themselves under the thumb of the Russian mafia, and are subsequently forced into carrying out increasingly problematic heists. We also meet Chris Allen (Casey Affleck), a rookie cop who finds himself partnered up with rogue officer Marcus Atwood (Anthony Mackie) in the most dangerous precinct in town, and with Belmont's crew needing a good distraction to carry out their latest raid, he finds himself in the unknowingly precarious position of being the target for a 'Triple 9': officer down.

If there's one thing that "Triple 9" does particularly well, then it's the hostile and crime-infested atmosphere it is able to create throughout its near-two hour runtime. While the movie might be better suited taking place in a Los Angeles or a Boston, it is somewhat refreshing to see a new city get a grisly makeover, and they do a hell of a job. The neon lighting of Atlanta bars and eerie streets of the night lend the film a rather gloomy and ominous gravitas, and the portrayal of the disenfranchised and unruly neighbourhoods is striking, motivated and, most importantly, appears very real. The version of Atlanta presented in this movie feels truly lived in, and you can't help but sympathise with the characters for having to go about their lives in such unstable conditions. No one person in this movie ever seems safe from the cold grip of death that seems to be lurking around the city, and "Triple 9" is curious, if only for the mystery of who will survive such a dire situation.

Atticus Ross's music is pulsating and biting in the best way, and the David Fincher-collaborator's score not only does a tremendous job of building tension, but also perfectly complements the gritty and unrelenting darkness of the feature. The film, much like the excellent "Sicario" from last year, really comes into its own during its set-pieces, and Hillcoat proves himself adept at managing them from the very first sequence of the movie. The highlight though, without a doubt, is a police raid on a gangster's hideout which, set to absolutely no score whatsoever, is exciting, unnerving and the most engaging scene in the entire movie. The strong cast do deserve some credit as well; Chiwetel Ejiofor is actually rather likable as a worn-down criminal forced to do the dirty jobs for the good of his son, even if the relationship between him and his partner Elena (Gal Gadot), which leaves him intimately linked to the Russian mafia, isn't fleshed out whatsoever. Speaking of the Russian mafia, it's quite evident how much fun Kate Winslet has playing the hyper-realised and rather cold mob boss Irina, and even then her exchanges with Ejiofor's Michael feel the most emotionally and narratively impactful.

There's a lot going on in "Triple 9" and, quite honestly, it's all a bit too much. In prospect, such a huge and well-known cast seems rather tantalising yet, in practice, the film is left in dire need of some focus. We have the crew of modern bandits at the centre of the story, and they are the ones who really hold your interest. It's frustrating then that the movie spends all of its time jumping back and forth, in rather erratic fashion, between them, the Russian mafia, Woody Harrelson's Woody Harrelson type character carrying out a rather fruitless and unnecessary investigation, bent cops played by Mackie and Collins Jr. abusing the system, and Affleck's Chris getting used to some pretty nasty streets. It's too bloated and half of those plot-lines could quite easily be dropped or reworked to make "Triple 9" a much more cohesive thriller. This also contributes to the problem of paper-thin characterisation, which is a similar issue to that faced by "Black Mass" from last year. We spend so little time with even the main characters that it's hard to care about them or even understand their motivations particularly well.

Take Aaron Paul for instance. Besides the fact that he is essentially reprising the role of Jesse Pinkman, to the extent that he even deploys his famous catchphrase 'Bitch' at one point, there is no explanation offered or established as to why he would act in the desperate way he does. Woody Harrelson phones it in with the most typical performance you can imagine from him. Even Casey Affleck is struggling to add anything to the stereotypical role he is given to work with. The problem: everyone is just too far inside their comfort zone and, quite frankly, it gets a little boring. Apart from Ejiofor and perhaps Winslet, I've seen these performances on numerous occasions before. The glue between the set pieces is also quite weak and, with very few characters to feel emotionally invested in, your left waiting for something exciting to come along and pick up the narrative. The film's conclusion is rather unsatisfying and haphazard, tying up the knots in the most by-the-numbers and unoriginal fashion possible. There's a lot of style and probably too much substance, and more than that, it's the substance that we've seen a hundred times before anyway.

If you thought that Oscar Isaac's dancing in "Ex Machina" was a sight to behold, then wait until you see this. Directed by Luca Guadagnino, who is best known for his well-received work on "I Am Love" in 2009, this has to be a shoe-in for the most screwed up family holiday of the year. Tilda Swinton, who has worked with Guadagnino in the past, stars as voiceless rockstar Marianne Lane, who has retired to a remote island off the coast of Italy in order to recover from an operation on her vocal chords. Joining her is partner and filmmaker Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts) who, as we see through flashbacks, is introduced to Lane by record producer Harry Hawkes, a rambunctious and zany character played in true dickhead style by Ralph Fiennes. After intruding on Marianne and Paul's get-away with his daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson), who seems to share a rather suspicious and discomforting relationship with her new-found father, it becomes clear that Harry has some designs on winning his ex-lover and colleague Marianne back. Set in the beautiful Pantellaria, and often around an enticing swimming pool, what seems like an above-board retreat soon turns pretty sour. Having competed for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, which saw it receive rave reviews from many critics, can "A Bigger Splash" live up to its impactful title?

The first half an hour, or so, of "A Bigger Splash" is absolutely irresistible. Guadagnino directs with a lot of style and personality, and proves himself quite capable of capturing a beautiful landscape on screen. Having seen what Paolo Sorrentino did with the alpine hotel in "Youth", it seems as if it runs in the blood of Italian directors. A very interesting atmosphere and tone is also set; the film is playful and somewhat raunchy, but also quite ambiguous and eccentric. Playing into this are the excellent performances which, throughout the entire duration of the feature, hold up the narrative. Tilda Swinton, who actually suggested that her character shouldn't be able to speak herself, does incredibly well with a very physical performance of gestures, facial reactions and whispers, and despite the age gap, her romance with Schoenaerts' Paul feels quite believable. The stand-out performer though, which is saying something in a film starring Tilda Swinton, is Ralph Fiennes, who shows his superb range with a crazy portrayal of an insufferable, irritating nuisance.

Despite the character he is playing, Fiennes is obscenely engaging, and a scene in which he busts multiple moves is both hilarious and striking in a way that very few films are. I might tentatively suggest, even at this early stage in the year, that his performance in "A Bigger Splash" could be an early contender for an Oscar nomination. Dakota Johnson rounds out the leading quartet with a sultry turn as Penelope, a mysterious, curious figure that does add a bit of youthful spice to proceedings. You have to commend the central cast for their excellent chemistry with one another; while there is an excessiveness and heightened sense of reality involved in "A Bigger Splash", its feet are kept on the ground by the intriguing interactions that take place between the colliding personalities. Guadagnino is successful in his attempt to create a palpable awkwardness between ex-lovers, father and daughter, husband and wife and for a while this allows the movie to feel rather dynamic. The movie features an excellent soundtrack as well, which really helps you sink into the wonderful surroundings depicted in the film, and you do get the sense that you're almost along for the ride on this dysfunctional holiday with the characters in question. "A Bigger Splash" is an accomplished film in a number of ways, and really is gorgeous to look at.

It's rather frustrating then that "A Bigger Splash", despite the film's achievements, feels like a missed opportunity. Although each of the main quartet are interesting in their own particular way, there is a clear absence of emotional connection to any of the central characters; their arcs are ultimately unsatisfying and their experiences seem to make very little impact upon the audience. Seeing these well-known names act in rather unfamiliar and off-the-cuff ways is bright and unexpected initially, but well into the second act of the film, the novelty of the feature starts to wear off. At a runtime of over two hours, too much of "A Bigger Splash" feels like a spinning of wheels, and although it would be unfair to label the movie as totally pretentious, there is a heavy-handidness of theme which comes across as rather jarring. The narrative, in several ways, just doesn't sustain itself; after a while it's quite easy to lose interest in what happens to each character, and they all seem so distanced from reality that any kind of relatability is ultimately sacrificed.

It's also fair to say that the setting, as wonderful as the holiday home is, becomes quite stale after a prolonged amount of time, and the claustrophobic, limited scope of the feature doesn't resonate emotionally in any particular way. The performances are great, but they don't really end up contributing to anything that is remotely substantial. This is summed up in the final act which, irrespective of a somewhat surprising plot-twist, doesn't resolve the issues addressed in the movie very well at all. The final scene is totally bizarre in its own right, but the entire conclusion to "A Bigger Splash" stunk of whimsical nonsense, and offered no pleasing or arresting closure to the overall narrative which had taken place. I admit that I might be missing something beneath the surface of this movie's glossy sheen, but the final stages of the film are handled so erratically and messily that it somewhat spoils the promise that "A Bigger Splash" clearly has.