‘I’m actually a humanist’: director John Hillcoat talks crime thriller Triple 9

Directed by John Hillcoat from a script by Matt Cook, the new movie Triple 9 is a gritty, rough-and-tumble crime thriller with an interesting take on loyalty and responsibility. Shot in and set in the southern United States city of Atlanta, the film takes place within a world of hi-tech weapons and low-down double-crosses, where law enforcement, criminals and ex-military intersect.

A team of former military personnel and corrupt cops carry out a series of heists, including a daring plan to use the police force’s highest distress call – 999 – as a distraction. The film features an impressive cast, including Chiwetel Ejiofor, Casey Affleck, Anthony Mackie, Woody Harrelson, Aaron Paul, Clifton Collins Jr, Norman Reedus, Teresa Palmer, Gal Gadot and Michael K. Williams. Kate Winslet plays the head of a Russian-Israeli mob in an outsized performance that is part garish, part chilling.

Hillcoat’s previous films include The Proposition , The Road and Lawless , and each of those films created a specific world; Triple 9 is no different. The Australian-born Hillcoat currently lives in Los Angeles, where he recently sat down for an interview to talk about the film.

The movie has a large cast, as did your previous feature Lawless . What appeals to you about that?

When you’re working with an ensemble, I think you really need different energies, because you don’t have much time with each character to make them feel real. You want strong personalities that are very different. Traditionally the Hollywood approach is you get one big star and then it trickles down to background extras. For me, that’s what I loved about [Robert] Altman’s films, it’s almost like if you chose to go over there and follow that character there’s this whole rich world. Really it’s just trying to elevate the overall cast as high as possible.

Winslet in particular has never played a character quite like this. And other actors had to stretch as well.