Movie Review: The Drop

The Drop (2014): Bob Saginowski finds himself at the center of a robbery gone awry and entwined in an investigation that digs deep into the neighborhood's past where friends, families, and foes all work together to make a living - no matter the cost.

Oh how I love this movie. The Drop came out way back in September. It hasn’t received much of any buzz right around now so it likely won’t get nominated for any Oscars. It will disappear into the veils of time as the years go on, and yet…it is a truly beautiful movie. It is beautifully shot (especially after watching Still Alice holy crap does The Drop excel in the cinematography and set design) its story has an extremely satisfying payoff, and it is masterfully acted. In short, The Drop is 106 minutes of good ol’ fashioned gangster goodness.

Directed by Michael Roskam, The Drop stars Tom Hardy, who has been on a roll for the last few years really. It’s really a shame that his worst role in the last 3-4 years is Dark Knight Rises, his largest commercial success in that span, and that was primarily because he couldn’t use half his face to act. And even there he was still pretty good! But Tom Hardy is once again spectacular here, donning a convincing Brooklyn accent for the entire movie and leading us through a wonderfully written story arc of his character. Oh ya, the scrennplay is great. Written by one of Hollywood’s current bests, Dennis Lehane, (writer of Shutter Island, Gone Baby Gone, and Mystic River acclaim) the story does take a while to develop, but the payoff is fantastic. Just…keep that in mind. There is a lot of development as we have several storylines all develop throughout the movie, but then when they all come together, it is beautiful. One of the better payoffs of the year. And I haven’t even mentioned the supporting cast! While there are a lot of members of this supporting cast, I’ll just highlight the two main members. Noomi Repace has made a respectable living over the last few years in these sort of movies, and once again is solid here. However, the main storyline of this movie and what makes it worth seeing if nothing else is James Gandolfini. The last performance from this late, great actor, Gandolfini once again reminds us why he was one of the best actors the gangster genre has ever seen. This is as appropriate a sendoff as one could ask for from this superb actor. You will be missed Mr. Gandolfini. Oh and actually, my favorite scene of the movie was James Gandolfini’s monologue about how back in the day he was respected. He was feared. Gave me all the feels.

There really isn’t a whole lot of negative things to talk about here. The setup is a little generic, I guess. Some may see the payoff coming, and if you do, the movie will be much worse to you. So don’t think about it! Just let it happen. You’ll thank me later. The set design is also fantastic. Roskam and company did a phenomenal job paying great attention to detail creating a believable life for these characters with all the little things in their homes and in the bar where the majority of this film takes place. If nothing else, The Drop puts on a clinic on how to have an AAA level budget production value on an AA budget.

To sum up, I would definitely recommend seeing this movie just because of James Gandolfini alone. It really is a nostalgic trip back in time for the actor in this movie, as his last few roles he had strayed a bit from the gangster genre. While he was great in those movies as well, (like his last starring role in Enough Said in 2013) I think the best way for Gandolfini to go out is here. On his home field. I’m happy I saw this movie, and I hope you see it too.

The Critique: Hardy and Gandolfini shine in an excellent screenplay from Dennis Lehane. A satisfying payoff makes this an awesome gangster movie.

The Recommendation: If you liked The Sopranos, or James Gandolfini in general, or gangster movies, this is an absolutely must-watch.

Rewatchability: High

The Verdict: 9/10 Awesome






Photo Credit
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