The Drop

The Drop

 (2014)

A Review by Grant Kanigan

Directed by: Michaël R. Roskam

Written by: Dennis Lehane

Starring: Tom Hardy, James Gandolfini,

              Noomi Rapace

Rating: 14A

Release Date: November 14, 2014

James Gandolfini & Tom Hardy in The Drop
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.

     Sometimes all it takes to make a great film is the right people working together at the right time. Tom Hardy, fresh off of his demented turn as the villainous Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, James Gandolfini, comfortably slipping into movie stardom after years of brilliant work in The Sopranos, and screenwriter Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone, and Shutter Island are all at the top of their game. Couple their willingness to explore the material with Michaël R. Roskam, a foreign director eager to cut his teeth on English-speaking North American cinema, and you have a brilliant piece of filmmaking. 

      The Drop follows bartender Bob Saginowski, (Tom Hardy), who works at his older cousin's bar, Cousin Marv's. Marv, (James Gandolfini), was once a big deal in their New York neighbourhood, taking bets, tending bar, and scaring the hell out of anyone who looked out of place. As Marv grumpily remarks through gritted teeth; "I used to have a chair at the end of the bar - it was my chair, nobody else could sit there - people feared me." But those are days gone by for Marv; crime is a new game in the twenty-first century, and Marv is stuck in the past. Selling out his bar to the local Mafia, Marv now sits in stagnation, waiting for a lucky break, and relying off the profits that come with being a 'drop bar' for the Mafia. Bob and Marv go about their business and seem content enough to simply exist to tend bar. Yet, things are not what they seem; Marv has ulterior motives, Bob's personality is a façade, and the Mafia knows more than they're letting on. It's not until Bob finds a beaten dog in his neighbour Nadia's garbage can that Cousin Marv's starts to implode. With help from Nadia, (Noomi Rapace), and a caring disposition, Bob begins to care for the new dog, as his world crumbles apart around him. With a drop night during the Superbowl coming up, and millions of dollars at stake, it's up to Bob to confront his reality and make a choice about his family, future and the well-being of his dog. 

     At face value, The Drop is extremely similar to Lehane's past works, and similar Boston-set dramas like The Departed, The Town or Mystic River. The Drop is set in New York, but it could be at home in any down and dirty East coast suburb. While Lehane's past adaptations have been fantastic, The Drop towers above the rest with it's juxtaposition of subtlety with staggering violence. It's exceptional qualities come via the lead actors. Tom Hardy, one of the most talented actors working today, (his work as well as range in Bronson, Inception, Warrior, Lawless and The Dark Knight Rises is absolutely mind-blowing), showcases his best work since Bronson. At first seeming like an innocent simpleton with a lisp and a mawkish gait, Hardy's performance slowly peels back the layers to reveal a calculating, brilliant mind trapped by circumstance. Gandolfini, usually towering and violent, portrays the perfect amount of menace, disappointment and gruff. It's a damn shame he died as The Drop was just finishing production - his work since The Sopranos wrapped has been exponentially brilliant. In the Loop, Killing Them Softly, Down the Shore and Enough Said were all career defining roles, and it seemed like Gandolfini was just beginning to hit his stride. Thankfully, with performances like his in The Drop, audiences won't be forgetting the name Gandolfini any time soon. 

     Ultimately, any script penned by Lehane is bound to be at least entertaining. Yet, with a cast that's willing to take risks through their performances and a director eager to impress, The Drop stands as the best Dennis Lehane adaptation yet. In regards to the late Gandolfini, it's a fitting finish for a legend, and a masterful performance. 

Grant's Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

James Gandolfini & Tom Hardy in The Drop: "You Need to See This"