A film came along in late 2014 that passed virtually unnoticed from theatres after its initial release. It happened to be James Gandolfini’s last film. Few people saw it and it received little word-of-mouth to increase its viewership. That’s a shame because Michael A. Roskam’s “The Drop” rises above its crime film contemporaries to a place of respectability by being fresh and slightly eccentric. It is just surprising enough to propel it into the realm of an underrated, little gem.
It takes place in New York. Tom Hardy plays Bob a bartender who works in a bar owned by his cousin, Marv (Gandolfini). Their bar acts as a “Drop” - a location where money is collected and distributed illegally to a local mob. On his way home from work one day, Bob discovers a puppy in a garbage can – still alive – but badly beaten. He and a woman named Nadia (Noomi Rapace) take care of the dog and it becomes the centerpiece of intrigue and suspense the will follow.
I liked the film and its characters. It has the quality of being lived-in and soulful. There is an element of realism to the setting and working-class people populating the story.
This is definitely not the greatest film of the year and it will probably be forgotten in a few years. But that’s not to say that it is not enjoyable and engaging. It is just a lively little film that isn’t flashy and it doesn’t draw attention to itself.
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