Movie Review: THE DROP Brings Some Quality To September.

The Drop

Director: Michael R. Roskam
Cast: Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, James Gandolfini, Matthias Schoenaerts, and John Ortiz.
Rated R for some strong violence and pervasive language.

September has been pretty lame at the theaters until this little thriller decided to show up. It's been two years since Tom Hardy has been on the big screen until his one-man show in the tense drama, Locke, which hit theaters earlier this year. Now Hardy is back in another small film that marks the last onscreen performance from the late James Gandolfini. Author Dennis Lehane, who wrote the novels Mystic River, Shutter Island, and Gone Baby Gone, writes the screenplay here based off his own short story, and once again he delivers a tense crime drama.

Tom Hardy plays Bob who is a bartender at his cousin Marv's establishment. Though his name is still on the sign, Marv (Gandolfini) got forced out of owning his bar by some Chechen mobsters who now use it as a drop spot for their illegal profits. One night, a couple street thugs hold up the bar and make away with $5,000 in cash. Bob and Marv are responsible for coming up with the cash to pay back the Chechens before things get ugly. Meanwhile, Bob has found an abused Pit Bull puppy in a garbage can and decides to care for it with the help of a neighbor, Nadia (Noomi Rapace). The problem is that the dog's abusive owner now wants him back, but mostly he wants to show Bob just who has power over whom.

The plot here is fairly straight forward, and the movie is a slow burning thriller. There isn't much action; it's mostly tense dialogue with some mysterious characters. Even most of the violence is done off screen with only the aftermath visible for our main characters to witness and contemplate. Hardy is fantastic. He has proven that he is one of the best actors working today; he can communicate so much with just his eyes. He gives a reserved performance here, but you can tell that this is not a guy you want to push around. Gandolfini also turns in some fine work as Cousin Marv who must find his place in a world where he no longer has power. It's a shame that we will no longer be able to witness any more of Gandolfini's work. You will be missed, sir.

The script is pretty solid from Lehane. I'm a big fan of his work and I hope he continues to write more screenplays as well as have his novels adapted. The film may be a little too slow for its own good, but it is Hardy and Gandolfini that make this movie better in every way. I may be a bit biased, because I have a total man crush on Tom Hardy, but the guy has tremendous talent, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for him. He brings an outstanding quiet intensity to this character that is mesmerizing.

 RATING: B+