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There are a lot of films that fall into the same sort of "ilk" in the sense that when we watch a particular movie, it gives us the same feel as others we have seen before it. This can be a reason why someone really enjoys it or gives the pretentious "it wasn't very original" remark that makes you never watch a movie with that fool again. "The Drop" brings out similar feelings, primarily because it has the feel of many other works of the author (and writer of the script) Dennis Lehane who is famous for works such as "Mystic River", "Shutter Island", and "Gone Baby Gone". Right away you get a feel for those previous works as we are again introduced to a gritty, seedy, and corrupt underbelly of a big city environment that introduces us to a bunch of low lifes who are caught up in doing the wrong things just to "make something of themselves".

What makes "The Drop" different from some of these other films is that these are different characters compared to what we're used to. No one seems to be a big talker and we can tell that all of these characters are more than meets the eye and carry significant baggage from a checkered past. Most films that deal organized crime and other things ask us to witness the violence that just seems to "come with the territory" so to speak with it. This film asks us instead to imagine the potential for violence in a man and how brief releases of that violence can affect how these characters live their lives in the future. There are moments of violence and bloodshed, but they come in such short and intense instances that they hit you harder then violence might normally would in another film of this sort. You believe that any of these characters is capable of beating another ones head in and when something of that sort actually happens, it sticks with you and has a lasting effect that carries throughout the remainder of the film.

The story follows Bob Saginowski (Tom Hardy) and his Cousin Marv (the last film of the late James Gandolfini) who run what's known as a drop bar which simply mean that they serve as a place where mobsters leave large amounts of illegal money to pick up at a later date. Cousin Marv used to be a man of his own power in the organized crime world and briefly had his own crew before he was pushed aside by an incoming Chechen gang and now he just manages the bar with Bob. 10 years has passed sense this change but Marv is still as bitter as ever about his position in life. Gandolfini excels in roles like this for so many reasons. Of course we see a little Tony Soprano in Cousin Marv but he brings so much else to this role from his tone of voice, expression with his eyes, and physical presence that makes the performance that much more captivating. It's great to watch him be able to display that intimidation factor as the "tough guy" that Marv wants to be seen as, as well as the fear and weakness that really exists in his heart.....all being shown through his eyes. It's the kind of performance that has a low-key profoundness that makes you hope the academy rewards a posthumous Oscar nomination.

Hardy is no less brilliant here as the quiet and mysterious Bob. Bob is not a big talker and just lives quietly in his own little bubble tending bar and handling the drop. His life is changed when he finds a wounded puppy in the trash can outside of the damaged Nadiya's (Noomi Rapace) house. They both decide to take care of the dog together as a potential budding romance threatens to grow. Bob has almost an instant connection with the dog, a young pitbull, and you begin to notice similarities between the two as the film progresses. Bob makes a comment that a pitbull is a "dangerous dog" which is true, but almost seems impossible to think when you see them as puppies. Bob can be looked at the same way as the puppy in the sense of he seems harmless but there is the potential for danger and violence deep inside both of them. I've always found it amazing how well British actors can master American accents compared to the other way around. Hardy especially is a master of accents and the way he handles his blue collar, Brooklyn speak is amazing to watch as we follow the mysterious Bob throughout the film, always wondering what he is thinking and what he really is about.

The other stand out performance in the film comes from Matthias Shoenaerts as the loose cannon, Eric Deeds. Shoenaerts brings a level of intensity that is so palpable that you often become uneasy when he is on screen. He spends the majority of the film claiming that Bob's new dog is his and that he wants him back, as we all are questioning what he is really after. Shoenaerts is a rising star for sure and I can't wait to see him continue to show what he's capable of a bigger stage.

In the end, "The Drop" is most likely going to be one of those early fall gems that falls by the wayside after a few weeks in theaters and is unfortunately forgotten about due to poor marketing. However, it also could be one of those small festival films that develops a cult following after people realize how good it is for being a slightly slower paced thriller that delivers great performances and a good story. In a way, that almost fits perfectly into the makeup of these characters who live in this world. Great and powerful things in small and low-key packages

The Drop (2014)

A solid, somewhat slow but never tedious look inside some small time crooks who own a bar in the City. This one is a drop for payments in a booking racket, and the bar owner (James Gandolfini) sort of goes along because he has no choice. The bartender (Tom Hardy) is far more ambiguous, and he makes the movie click. Add Noomi Rapace whose small role fills in a big gap rather well and you have the core of the cast, all excellent.

There is no attempt at the grandiose here, despite all the history and slightly exaggerated characters involved (mostly bad ones). And that's the beauty of the movie, which manages not just realism but a welcome tenderness amidst all the darkness and bad intentions. The one bright spot is, tragically, Gandolfini, who manages to be really funny even as he about to do terrible things. Hardy is just the opposite, showing a huge heart with utter sobriety even as he, too, is going to do terrible things.

Whether this quite rises above the many movies that dive into this kind of world I don't know, but I thoroughly enjoyed it even when it seemed to get slow. It doesn't plod, but it has no urgency, either. There are some clichés that might have been avoided (the attitude of the bad guys) and some violence that seemed a bit in your face, but it balances out, too. Rapace is not given enough to do—this is a man's movie, another one —but she is tough and smart in necessary ways.

Well filmed, smartly done, I'd give this a look.

(66%) An apt farewell to the great James Gandolfini in a role that fits the very talented actor like a well tailored glove, and anyone with at least some fondness and admiration should find a fair degree to enjoy here. Along-side the great man is the ever impressive Tom Hardy playing a character somewhat reminiscent to Rocky Balboa, with his good heart, chequered past, devotion to dogs, and even the relationship with Moomi Rapace has a similar feel to the one heavily featured in the Rocky movies. The way this focuses on characters that aren't really what one would call gangsters and yet they're not really all that straight and narrow either making for a somewhat unique angle, and that's considering the fact that the movie barely breaks any new ground. The plot is more intriguing than exciting, and the pacing does grind to a near halt at a few times, but I never found it dull, and a couple of scenes are surprisingly heartwarmingly sweet. All-in-all a good addition to crime cinema that won't be ranked among the best but is still a worthy watch for the cast alone.

I felt compelled to write this review because I was fortunate enough to see this movie at an advance screening, and because I do not think the movie will be around long.

The reason I think it will not be around long is because this movie is for adults. It is character driven with a well written storyline. It does not have anything that would appeal to most movie goers....no car chases, moronic humor, or gratuitous sex. The Drop starts slow, but you have to pay attention to what goes on in the movie, and what the characters both do and say. It picks up speed and intensity, and is well worth your time.

The storyline is a very interesting underworld crime caper, but it is very nuanced, with excellent acting by all the leads. I was only familiar with the late James Gandolfini, and he does not disappoint, and the other actors, although unknown to me were also outstanding.

"I had something once. I was respected. I was FEARED." Cousin Marv (James Gandolfini in his final performance)

Writer Dennis Lehane knows his neighborhoods, evidenced by his Gone Baby Gone and Mystic River. He's back again but in Brooklyn, not Boston, in The Drop. It's a small movie with some big actors (Tom Hardy as Bob, Noomi Rapace as Nadia, and the late James Gandolfini as Cousin Marv) in a small-time noirish story that has been told many times before: mean streets, laconic heroes, troublesome women, secrets. It's acting that keeps it from being an imitation.

Bob tends bar in Cousin Marv's, which now and then can be a "drop," a designated place on a night when sports-betting money can be deposited and moved for laundering. The short story was called Animal Rescue, an apt title because Bob finds an abused dog , precipitating his connection with Nadia and furthers peripheral action. In reality, it's something for Bob to love, to get him out of himself.

Bob holds tightly to much in both the present and the past. Hardy is a master at revealing little somethings as the camera lovingly holds on to him in close ups. Just as in his brilliant solo act in Locke, Hardy can tell us everything through facial expression and nuanced voice, an artfully minimalist performance that might remind you of Brando without the extreme mumbling.

For those who like their screen romances spare and chaste, this one between Bob and Nadia is a classic of restraint. Director Michael R. Roskam and Lehane want to emphasize the hoodlum motif without mixing in clichéd boy meets girl stuff, and they succeed. The emphasis remains throughout on the claustrophobic bar and the occasional release to the outside, always looping back to Marv's.

For those who like their stories small and their actors big in a world Sidney Lumet (Dog Day Afternoon) and Elia Kazan (On the Waterfront) would love, see The Drop.