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| Title: | The Drop |
| Director: | Michael R. Roskam |
| Starring: | Tom Hardy, James Gandolfini, Noomi Rapace, Matthias Shoenaerts. |
| Genre: | Thriller |
| Runtime: | 1 Hours 46 mins |
| Music: | Marco Beltrami |
| Studio: | Fox Searchlight |
| Certificate: | US: R UK: 15 |
| Release Date: | USA: September 12 2014 UK: November 14 2014 |
| See If You Like: | Out of the Furnace, Blood Ties. |
Coming from writer Dennis Lehane, the novelist and screenwriter behind both Mystic River and Shutter Island, and based on Lehane’s original short story Animal Rescue, The Drop is a strong, gripping, crime-thriller with a stellar cast, and an engaging, if not a little slow, story.
Centring around a well known ‘drop’ bar (one of hundreds, where nefarious types choose to deposit their ill-gotten cash for pickup at the end of the evening) in Brooklyn, New York, The Drop follows the seemingly withdrawn bartender Bob Saginowski (Tom Hardy, The Dark Knight Rises) as his bar; the bar previously owned, but now only managed by former mobster, and bitter loser, Marv (James Gandolfini, The Sopranos); gets held-up one evening, and the gangsters who’ve lost their cash place the burden on retrieving their money on Bob, and cousin Marv.
Yet oddly enough, the events of the bar and the missing money unfold at the same time as a parallel and equally important story; where Bob happens to find an abandoned dog one night, and begins to grow closer to his dog-loving neighbour Nadia (Noomi Rapace, Prometheus), before the dog’s former owner/abuser returns and begins to cause trouble for Bob and his new friend.
Needless to say events transpire, the police (actually a specific detective, played by Silver Linings Playbook star John Ortiz) get involved with the robbery and even star asking questions about a missing persons case from 10 years ago, the dog’s former owner Eric (Matthias Schoenaerts, Blood Ties) keeps showing up and causing trouble for Bob and Nadia, and Marv grows increasingly bitter over his lot in life (believing he should still be the man in charge of the streets) as he makes a plan to retire, and Bob simply tries to hold everything together.
It’s not an entirely original story; we’ve seen countless crime-thrillers with similar themes over the years, where former criminals, men on the fringes of the lifestyle, or simply those desperate to improve their lot in life get dragged into situations which aren’t their fault and end up crossing the line, and forced into situations which they don’t want to be in; but what makes The Drop stand-out as a film worth watching is both the strength of Lehane’s writing (the script is tight, engaging, believable, and provides an effective build to an impressive payoff), and the impressive work of an excellent cast.
Tom Hardy is fantastic as the withdrawn, slightly awkward, bartender Bob; not only portraying every aspect of his slow, well-intentioned, and somewhat undervalued character with ease, but once again delivering a flawless accent, and bringing an inner strength to the screen which despite his non-abrasive actions mean you’re constantly waiting for Bob to explode; and joined by a well placed Noomi Rapace; also effectively appearing both scared, vulnerable, and out of place, at almost every juncture; and an effectively creepy and intimidating Matthias Schoenaerts (who plays plays the strange, dog-abandoning, psychopath with a penchant for violence a little too well); making for a great cast all-round.
Though the stand-out performance has to be that of the late James Gandolfini (with The Drop sadly marking his final appearance in a feature film); a man who basically ends up returning to his most famous role here, and once again playing a Tony Soprano-like character who was robbed of his criminal-boss status a few years before the events of the film, but simply won’t let go and holds on to the days when he was respected and feared. It’s a fantastic showing from a star with true screen presence, one which is effortlessly delivered, and brings not only strength, but true vulnerability, in a multi-layered performance which only proves what a shame it is we won’t be seeing anymore from such a strong actor.
There’s far less action, and fear, in The Drop than one may expect with a film of this nature, and there’s no doubt people will complain it’s a little slow (due to the same reason), but the build is brilliant, and there are a few stand-out scenes (particularly during Marv’s monologues, and the final confrontation at the bar) where The Drop becomes so tense, so gripping, and so utterly enthralling it’s an undeniably great movie.
Also with great lighting, solid editing and direction, as well as an effective soundtrack The Drop is clearly a success. Possibly a touch slow (depending on your perception), and not exactly original, but well written, well shot, and filled with a stellar cast who deliver stunning performances, The Drop delivers everything you could want from a hard-hitting, realistic, gritty crime thriller. A must watch for any fan of the crime genre.
Matt Wheeldon – @TheMattWheeldon.
