Review of The Drop (2006) by Nick C — 04 Jan 2015

The Drop is a very purposefully disorganized film, in an attempt to be "surreal" and "organic". To me, it just felt, well... Disorganized.

Pro's:

--Very well acted. Hardy and Gandolfini play interesting characters, and are (to me) the best parts of the movie. Other actors did a decent job, but I'll get more into that in the con's section.

--Interesting plot. A movie about the bar money drops in Brooklyn is something I've never heard of, or even thought could be a movie. Yet, here it is. The actual plot is interesting enough, and is forwarded by its characters' interactions instead of events throughout the movie.

--Satisfying ending. Although I don't want to spoil too much, let's just say that somebody gets shot in the face at the end. And boy is it satisfying.

Con's:

--Disorganized storytelling. As I mentioned in the opening line, this film tries too hard to be grungy and artistic. A simple story with things ACTUALLY HAPPENING would be nice, instead of a 2 hour flick where VERY VERY LITTLE goes on.

--Slow pace. I usually can take a slow movie. Hell, some of my favorite movies are Citizen Kane and 12 Angry Men. This film goes beyond the point of "Oh, they're just building up the plot" into the realm of "Oh my god, can somebody please do something".

--Most characters where not great. I'm not talking about the acting, I mean the characters themselves were either pointless, not on screen enough, not given enough backstory, or just annoying.

--THAT DOG. Okay, this was a thing that confused me. This ENTIRE FILM revolves around Tom Hardy owning a dog. That's how the plot gets going, the inciting moment occurs, and the resolution happens. All sparked by that dog. This is literally "Marley and Me 2: Shit Goes Down in Brooklyn". First Hardy finds a dog. Then he buys stuff for it. Then he feeds it. Then he takes it for a walk. Then he snuggles with it quietly. OH, AND THERE'S SOME STUFF ABOUT DRUGS AND MONEY DROPS BUT SERIOUSLY WHO CARES WHEN THERE ARE PUPPIES.

I can't understand how this movie is so popular. I mean, aren't there Disney movies about dogs and stuff? The actual plot felt pretty weak to me, and a combination of other things made this one just... okay in my eyes. Not good, not bad, just okay. I'd say this is a hit or miss kind of film. I'd recommend it to someone who likes thrillers, crime movies, puppies, and watching paint dry. Even then, it's hit or miss: you might like it, you might not.