Quand vient la nuit

"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.

The Drop appears as a crime thriller, taking its audience to a gritty life of gangsters hiding their dirty money in drop bars, but this is mostly a drama about a lone bartender thinking on living a different path apart from his cousin's. It also involves a subplot of a man trying to retain his already faded glory. But there is a deadlier conflict lurking in the dark. There isn't much remarkably grand to be found in this story, but telling the details of the characters' past and waiting for the impending danger behind their backs instantly makes it compelling. It benefits by being low-key, but still far from classic. In any way this is still one fine basic crime drama.

This is a story where you find no heroes. Bob is basically not the kind of person anyone would fear. In spite of his reserve and kinder personality towards people, you may not know that he is still a tough fellow since he's been adapted into this mess. Things get lighter when he adopts a dog, meets a new friend and starts a relationship, thinking that his life would change for a bit. Once the real threat appears into this small side of his world, we expect him to protect them from harm, but this is not one of those glossy heroic deeds that lead to some action set piece. The thrills are simply calm and with that calmness, you can sense more of the danger coming after himself and his loved ones. If there is one thing we've learn about gangsters in great crime movies then that is how unpredictable they are at killing. That is how often the movie displays its suspense.

The story relies to many backstories within its main characters and we could easily comprehend those on their conversations and their lifestyle. The cast helps making these characters engaging, with Tom Hardy layering coldness above Bob's remaining humanity. The late James Gandolfini does beyond brooding, you can feel the character's despair from his old days. Anything else, the actor did what he does best. Noomi Rapace makes for a likable backup for Hardy. And Matthias Schoenaerts is effectively threatening. These performances just live up to the depth of what's written for these characters.

The Drop is plain simple, that the only value it provides to its audience is some entertaining cluster with the stars like Hardy, Gandolfini, and Rapace, and some grounded tension. This won't end up being one of the greats since it doesn't actually satisfy in whatever happens in the end, but this is already an interesting study of a corrupt lifestyle at the streets of Brooklyn, with people hiding their own dirty secrets and facing some uncertain consequences. That alone could bring a fine recommendation to this movie.

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.

Michael R. Roskam burst onto the scene a few years back with "Bullhead" which was deservedly nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

In his first English language, American film, Roskam works with a script by the great author Dennis Lehane to tell the story of Brooklyn bartender Bob, waitress Nadia, has-been Cousin Marv, and the mysterious Eric Deeds.

The plot of "The Drop" has been done before to various degrees, and Lehane's script was surprisingly predictable. Although the material wasn't particularly fresh, the actors and a few strong scenes make it worthwhile.

Hardy, although a bit inconsistent, delivers a quietly great performance. You just want to give the guy a hug. Gandolfini is unsurprisingly fantastic in his final big screen performance. He plays to perfection a middle aged has-been that's ticked off with what his life has become. The direction they took with his character was predictable and left me very disappointed, but I'm happy that his last performance was this good. Noomi Rapace arguably gave the best performance in the film, and probably the best supporting actress I've seen so far this year. She does a great job playing a damaged woman trying to lead a good life, and her scenes with Hardy (and the dog!) are some of the best of the movie. Schoenaerts (who was sensational in Roskam's Bullhead) is good, but not given too much to do with a one-dimensional character. And the dog! Rocco! One of the all-time great dog performances in my opinion.

The movie is also really funny at times (mainly Gandolfini in the first half hour and Hardy with the dog). It drags a bit at times, and like I said above the script could have been a lot better.... but it's still a very good movie that easily could have been a great one with a few changes. I'll still see it again, and I'm sure it will stay in my top 10 of the year.

And as a huge fan of James Gandolfini, I'm sad to say this is the last time we'll ever see him on the big screen. But I'm happy that Roskam did him justice with one last great performance. RIP to one of the all-time greats.

(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.