For crime lovers, suspense fans, and general film buffs, this film is a must-watch. In the age of streaming, we are buried in so much content that it can be difficult to separate the good from the bad. This means that good films often slip under the radar. The Drop is one of those films.
The story follows a Brooklyn barkeep named Bob, who gets wrapped up in a police investigation after the mafia-owned bar is robbed. Bob is played by Tom Hardy, and he and Cousin Marv (James Gandolfini), are unwilling employees in the Chechen mafia’s drop bar. Things get more complicated when Bob finds a beaten puppy in a trashcan and earns the help of Nadia (Noomi Rapace) and the ire of unstable criminal Eric Deeds (Matthias Schoenaerts).
The script is written by Dennis Lehane and based on his story Animal Rescue, which the film is based on. The script is excellent, smartly written, and reflects the dangerous atmosphere that these characters live in. Nicolas Karakatsansis’ cinematography pulls the viewer into a Brooklyn that is oppressive and stark, though there are moments of warmth.
Directed by Micheal R. Roskam, he gets the most out of this superb cast. Tom Hardy especially shines as Bob, which he plays to perfection. Bob is complex and layered and is never less than enthralling. Bob’s characterization is a feat that all writers should aspire to. James Gandolfini also stands out, the film was his final role. Cousin Marv is less nuanced than Hardy’s Bob, but Gandolfini brings range to the character.
The film’s pacing is expertly timed between giving the characters moments to connect, maintaining tension, and keeping the plot moving forward. The Drop is a slow burn that evades the feel of one with its short run time of 106 minutes. In the age where every movie seems to max out at two and a half hours, such a tight narrative displayed in an hour and a half is satisfying.
Spoilers ahead. Go watch the movie, then come back and we’ll talk about it.
The story is fantastic, right? You went and watched the movie, didn’t you? I know you’re not about to continue reading this having never seen the movie and ruining an amazing twist for yourself. Granted, the movie is so subtle that you might not expect much from it if you aren’t looking for it. I didn’t see the twist coming on my first watch, underestimating the writers. The story works like a long build-up to a very well-earned punch line.
The parallel between Bob and the puppy is so simple, yet so well done. Bob finds this beaten Pitbull puppy outside a woman’s house. Pitbulls have an awful reputation as brutal killers but are victims of their environment and upbringing. The puppy represents the innocence within Bob, who isn’t a bad person but has been forced into doing bad things by his circumstances. Bob nurturing the puppy is Bob nurturing his own innocence.
If anyone other than Tom Hardy had played Bob, the story may not have worked. The way Hardy plays the character as awkward and odd is a large portion of what makes the story work. At the beginning of the movie, a group of men in the bar are toasting Richie “Glory Days” Whelen. As the film goes on, we learn more about Whelen. He was murdered. The detective who is investigating the robbery at Cousin Marv’s bar is also asking around about this murder.
When Eric Deeds shows up to intimidate Bob, claiming that the puppy is his and that he wants it back, Marv and Nadia both tell Bob that Deeds killed Richie Whelen. Later, when Deeds is threatening Bob, he confirms this murderous rumor. Hardy’s acting in these scenes is fantastic, on the first watch nothing about his reaction stands out. On the second watch, what can be interpreted as concern is now seen as frustration. In the third act, the detective discovers that Deeds could not have killed Whelen, as he was locked up at the time.
Bob and the detective go to the same catholic church. Throughout the movie, when the detective sees Bob, he talks more about the church than the robbery case. He asks Bob why he never takes communion. Bob doesn’t answer. In Catholicism, those who know they have committed a grave sin and have not made a sacramental confession cannot receive holy communion. Bob can’t have communion.
At the end of the film, Eric Deeds breaks into Nadia’s house and forces her to go to Cousin Marv’s Bar with him. It is Superbowl night, and Cousin Marv’s bar will be the drop for the Chechens’ illegal money. Eric Deeds is going to rob the safe, taking the Mafia’s money. When everyone has left the bar, Deeds tries to do this, telling Bob to open the safe. Bob ignores him and instead tells the story of a kid who owed Cousin Marv a lot of money. The Kid hit it big in Atlantic City and paid Marv back, but Marv had his own issues. He was a gambler himself and needed the money to pay back what he’d skimmed off of his own stash. The kid was Richie Whelen, and Bob killed him so no one would know that he paid Marv back. Bob pulls a gun and kills Deeds in front of Nadia.
This movie stands out in the era of franchises as a story that feels very human. It makes the audience sympathize with a murderer twice over. It contrasts the perils of power with the strength of personal relationships. It warns of arrogance, and it leaves the audience with an open-ended question. Are some crimes impossible to forgive?
Comment below if I missed or misread anything, or if you think this movie isn’t all I’m making it out to be. I’d love to hear from you!
