Now that the Oscars have come and gone, it's time to officially put 2015 behind us and enjoy what the new year of cinema has to offer. Triple 9 represents a recent theatrical arrival boasting a loaded cast and intriguing premise from Lawless filmmaker, John Hillcoat. With Kate Winslet, Woody Harrelson, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Casey Affleck and Anthony Mackie all on board in prominent roles, you may start to wonder why Triple 9's an early year release.

A crew of criminals and crooked cops find themselves as pawns for the overseeing wife (Winslet) of an imprisoned Russian mob boss. And with a slew of personal and financial agendas guiding everyone involved in a chaotic direction, a new cop on the beat (Case Affleck) lands in the middle of all this madness.

One of the most infuriating elements surrounding John Hillcoat's new dirty cop flick, Triple 9, is the screenplays disregard for character development. Instead, the film relies on cheap pseudo-emotional scenes and situations to progress its long-winded and surprisingly hollow story. Consequently no real attachment is formed between viewer and film, leaving Triple 9 as yet another disappointing early-year release. Films don't get any more superficial than this substance-free effort which sadly squanders an all-star cast of acting talent.