The Drop Review

Drop It Like It's Hot

Crime movies are a long time staple of American cinema, and for good reason. They take universal feelings all humans face (fear, joy, anger) and apply them to these extremely heightened scenarios. The newest addition this cinematic tradition is The Drop, a drama that is in now way perfect, but does makes for quite an enjoyable viewing.
Accents are a tricky business, believe you me, I've dabbled in them from time to time. So it pains me to say that one of my favorite actors, Tom Hardy, doesn't pull of his Brooklyn accent here as the lead character. Now, it's not awful, and for several scenes, it's perfectly acceptable. But there are several moments in the film, including some major emotional scenes, where it sounds really garbled and all over the place. A shame it takes away some of the dramatic potency of some moments, but in Hardy's defense, he's actually perfect physically for his character, named Bob.

Now, Bob is supposed to be a quiet chap, but also a cunning fellow who can handle himself in a fight. Hardy couldn't not have an intimidating psychical presence if he tried, so it's nice to see even in his most quiet moments hints at a more brutal side of his personality peeking out. As for his cousin Marv, played by James Gandolfini, well, his personality is way, way different. If Bob keeps his ability to hold his ground in a tussle a secret, Marv wants everyone to know he's still a presence to know and fear in his community. I love how this role tweaks some of the mobster roles Gandolfini played in his time, as Marv is more desperate to be respected than actually commit hideous mobster deeds.

Gandolfini plays it all in an excellently nuanced manner and any scene that has him in it becomes instantly a thousand times more interesting. The rest of the cast isn't quite as interesting, which sadly includes Noomi Rapace in a bland role as Bob's girlfriend, but at least they're not distractingly lackluster and they all help advance the story in some manner. Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention the best character in the film; a black pit bull puppy that Bob adopts. The pooch is a major part of the film and thankfully so considering how adorable the critter is.

Michael R. Roskham directs this tale and he does so in a serviceable fashion, though I did like how he used tight spaces to heighten tension in some of the movies more important scenes. The script, written by Dennis Lehane, gives similarly decent work in the story here. No traditional narrative tropes get subverted in the plot, but he at least keeps things moving, short (the film runs about 106 minutes) and most importantly, watchable. I actually did find the movie constantly entertaining, and though it's got its weaknesses, I'd recommend a viewing if you enjoy the actors or are looking for a pretty good entry in the world of crime movies.