Review of The Drop (2014) by Patrick L — 01 Apr 2015

"It is a brilliant showcase for both Tom Hardy and the late James Gandolfini".

Movie Review: The Drop.

Date Viewed: September 27 2014.

Directed By Michael R. Roskam (Bullhead).

Screenplay By Dennis Lehane, Based on his 2009 short story "Animal Rescue".

Starring: Tom Hardy, James Gandolfini, Noomi Rapace, Matthias Schoenaerts, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Ann Dowd, John Ortiz,.

Michael Esper, Michael Aronov, James Frecheville, Ross Bickell, Morgan Spector,.

Tobias Segal, Patricia Squire and Chris Sullivan.

Most crime movies focus on those who are at top of the food chain, bosses, crooks and dons. "The Drop" does something different, it doesn't focus on mobsters, the characters in this film are bartenders. Even though it doesn't pull out any surprises, it is one of the best movies of 2014 and it is a brilliant showcase for both Tom Hardy and the late James Gandolfini. "The Drop" marks the screenwriting debut of acclaimed author Dennis Lehane (who previously wrote episodes for "The Wire" and "Boardwalk Empire").

Lehane is no stranger to crime thrillers, he wrote "Mystic River" and "Gone Baby Gone".

He understands the gritty world of organized crime and he knows how to write compelling characters. He's that good of a writer. Tom Hardy should be considered as one of today's best working actors. He can fit into almost any role like a chameleon. In "The Drop", he plays Bob Saginowski, a hard-working bartender who works for his Cousin Marv (James Gandolfini in his final role). The neighborhood bar called Cousin Marv's is being used for money-laundering "drops" and soon the bar gets robbed by two gunmen.

Bob and Marv want the police to investigate who committed the robbery and the money stolen from them belonged to the Chechen mob. Meanwhile, Bob finds a battered bull dog in a trash can. With the help of Nadia (Noomi Rapace), the woman who lives in the house where the puppy was dumped, Bob brings the dog into his house and he agrees to take care of him. For a while, things seem to go well for Bob until the dog's mentally unstable owner, Eric (Matthias Schoenaerts) starts stalking him.

Marv used to be a legendary figure for the Brooklyn mob, he was respected, he was feared and now he has fallen on hard times. "The Drop" is based on a 2009 short story called "Animal Rescue" written by Lehane and it was directed by Belgian filmmaker Michael R. Roskam who is making his American debut. After his great performance in "Locke", Tom Hardy gives another brilliant performance as the hard-working but dim bartender and James Gandolfini should deserve a posthumous Oscar nomination for his last great role as Cousin Marv.

With it's great atmosphere and excellent setting, "The Drop" is a top-notch, character-driven crime drama. It is superbly acted and the dialogue by Lehane is sharp and enthralling. James were all going to miss you.