The Drop follows lonely bartender Bob Saginowski through a covert scheme of funneling cash to local gangsters – “money drops” in the underworld of Brooklyn bars. Under the heavy hand of his employer and cousin Marv, Bob finds himself at the center of a robbery gone awry and entwined in an investigation that digs deep into the neighborhood’s past.
- Synopsis provided by movie | fone
The Drop is a dramatic crime thriller based on Dennis Lehane’s 2009 short story “Animal Rescue” and stars Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, James Galdolfini, Matthias Schoenaerts, John Ortiz & James Frecheville.
The film was a remarkable crime drama that makes you look one way to blow the catch the viewer off guard at the end. As the mob collects money drops at a local bar, one man who wants his own glory days back continues to play a dangerous game with the mob. Marv, played by James Galdolfini, is the bar owner who lost his bar to the mob and hates them because he jumped when they said jump. Galdolfini captures his character brilliantly, tapping into how lost and trapped the character feels.
Watching Galdolfini in his last performance of this life, viewers are captivated by his ability to present himself on the big screen. His strong facial expressions highlighted his secrets, everything he was keeping from the world and how overwhelming his fears are. There is also an underlying depth in the way he acts to connect those fears with the heartbreak he feels in betraying his own blood. Within the movie, there is one singular scene that shows how much family means to him, and emotion there, coupled with his hesitation later on in the film, allows the audience to see the heartbreak in his attitude.
Then there was Noomi Rapace and Tom Hardy. Those two were a remarkable team. Hardy tapped into the innocence and docile nature of the character. And then there is Rapace who is simply a remarkable actress. Rapace has this way of putting her emotion in her eyes, of capturing the fear she has for her own life, capturing the love and sadness that she has endured and lived through. She delivers her lines with incredible passion that bring her to life on the big screen. As for Hardy, his presence on the screen, the way he went from docile to wild, was intense. It was so remarkable and unsuspecting that it will sure to blow the viewer away.
Of course, the story as a whole is as amazing as the ensemble within it because of all the twists and turns the story takes in such brilliant ways. The deeper the movie gets into developing the story behind the film, the more the more subtle aspects of the film come to life and resonate off the screen.
This is a movie the viewer will want to see again and again. (★★★★ | A)
Directed by: Michaël R. Roskam
Written by: Dennis Lehane
Based on Animal Rescue by Dennis Lehane
Starring: Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, James Gandolfini, Matthias Schoenaerts, John Ortiz & James Frecheville
Genre/Rating/Length: Crime drama | R | 1 hr. 47 min.