Review of The Drop (2014) by Michelle S — 18 May 2015

An unsung gem of 2014, The Drop is a surprisingly elegant film.

I had not watched any of the trailers or read any review before watching The Drop. There doesn't seem to be much hype about it and I had expected just another generic crime drama. But what a pleasant surprise it was! The Drop turns out to be a dark, tense and taut crime-drama with a subtle script, fabulous characterization and award-worthy performances to top it all. It doesn't have jumpy action sequences every 10 minutes nor makes deliberate attempt at humor. What it gives is realistic character drama under the strong direction of Mikaël Roskam.

The name 'Drop' comes from the 'Drop Bars' in the film. Drop bars are one of the bars selected for a day, where all the illegal money laundering takes place, the local mob Chechen collect the money at the end of the day. Bob Saginowski (Tom Hardy) plays a reserved, low-key bartender at one such bars called Cousin Marv's named after his own cousin Marv (played by late James Gandolfini). He lives a simple, shy, single and seems gentle at heart. His cousin on other hand, wants to score big in the mobster business but has never succeed. Bob meets Nadia (Noomi Rapace) when he finds an injured puppy near her house, they both treat the pup and Bob adopts it. Things go awry after 2 punks rob their bar which angers the Chechen. Things get deep when detective Torres (John Ortiz) (who knows Bob as they visit the same church) starts investing it and is suspicious of Bob and his cousin. To make matter worse the pup turns out to previously owned by alleged murder Eric Deeds (Matthias Schoenaerts) who starts stalking Bob. The story dwells into each of the character and progresses smoothly just through their regular day-to-day conversations. We also get some insight into the unknown pasts of the characters The subplots may seem a bit disconnected and out of place, but every small thing is wisely connected in a twisty and dark climax.

You must note that that there is hardly any action sequences, yet the story keeps you on your toes with its tense buildup and smartly written script. The acting which is even better is the backbone of the film. Tom Hardy gives rock-solid classy performance as the quite and slightly oddball Bob. He makes Bob feel truly authentic and a root for character no matter what he does. Late Gandolfini is splendid as the greedily ambitious cousin Marv. Noomi Rapace also worth a mention for her portrayal of Nadia, a woman wounded by her past somehow trying to heal. Dennis Lehane's (Shutter Island, Gone Baby Gone fame) screenplay is seemingly simple and straightforward. But with lifelike characters and suspense-filled proceeding plots it works astonishing well. The cinematography is top notch. The entire thing handles dark and gritty themes of sin and morality quite very well. The subtle slow soundtrack adds to the feel of it.

The Drop is intentionally slow and taut, which might put down many. It reminds me of another film of 2014, Foxcatcher. It has similarly character driven but the story slightly better here. It only feels a bit draggy and lost in the middle section but apart from that its well paced. Overall The Drop was surprise package for me and I feel fine example of well written cinema. The cast is great and the acting top-notch. Fantastic direction and atmospheric score make it immersing experience where you feel being along the characters and their lives. I would say The Drop is one of the dark horse of 2014 alongside the The Babadook and has become one of my personal favorite films of recent times (also become Tom Hardy fan). A treat for cinema-lovers!

RATING: [4/5].