Review of The Drop (2006) by Jon H — 20 Feb 2015

A slow, murky and soaked with restrained violence, The Drop is a gripping character-driven crime drama. Bolstered by brilliant leading and supporting performances, this is a small story bringing back classic elements from the old-school urban mobster movies. Uneasy to follow and with some moments that would shock you, The Drop is an extremely compelling delivery.

Bob Saginowski (Tom Hardy) and his cousin Marv (James Gandolfini) work in Marv's pub which happens also to be a cash "money drop" for the Chechen mafia. One particular night they get robbed by a pair of local gangsters who happen to know that this particular night Bob and Marv have received an envelope with Chechen cash. After this event, Bob continues to live his lonely life, finding out a lost dog and starting a friendship with Nadia (Noomi Rapace). Without having a particular story direction, but more like several plot-lines developing apart and interacting with each other throughout the movie, director Michael Roskam skillfully reveals a dark and mysterious background story. The sharp, yet slowly-paced, screenplay builds-up the tension and increases the audience's curiosity slowly but steadily, until the final moment of twist in which all sub-plot lines blend altogether for a minute and then go their separate way again. The stylish and minimalistic final of the movie is just as unsettling as the Oscar-nominated debut (Bullhead) of the Belgian director Michael Roskam. His ability to create dark, cold and realistic micro-worlds in which every character has its time to be completely portrayed is once again used in order to make The Drop more of a psychological and character-driven crime drama, than a typical energetic mobster thriller.

If there is a reason why The Drop has turned into such a formidable delivery, this is by no means the trio Hardy-Gandolfini-Schoenaerts. Many America movie-goers are probably unfamiliar with Matthias Schoenaerts' previous movies, but he proves once again that he can perform to perfection into the role of a social outsider, with aggression problems. Gandolfini, from on his side, is conveying a hidden menace throughout the whole movie, which keeps always suspicious towards his character. In the end, a whole new paragraph should be written about Tom Hardy's performance as Bob Saginowski. It is already several years and movies that Tom Hardy proves to be one of the most versatile and interesting actors to follow (he is on my "Favorite Actors" list). Mysterious, with restrained emotions, unusually honest and human, his character is a magnet for the viewers. His slow, quiet and calming presence bursts out in a surprising and spectacular final act that would drop the jaw of many.

As a whole, The Drop is that kind of crime dramas that would ultimately please the lovers of the genre. Far from being a mainstream delivery, it manages to remain accessible and entertaining to wider audiences, mostly thanks to its cast. This is the second formidable movie directed by Michael Roskam and clearly he is on the verge of becoming of the directors to follow up. As for Tom Hardy, it is perfectly clear: soon or later he would have his Oscar-winning role.