7/10

This weekend’s film winner is one that is once again seen in the fewest screens but tells the best natural story with impactful performances. Tom Hardy stars as Bob, a former gangster turned bartender at his cousin Marv’s (James Gandolfini) bar. Bob handles what is known as the drop bar. Every night, Marv’s Bar is the forefront for the city’s dirty money exchange far away from the eyes of any law enforcement. When five thousand dollars gets stolen by two masked criminals, things take a dangerous and gritty turn with the mob coming to collect their cash. The Drop is similar to a lot of other New York crime dramas, but what pushes it over the edge is the brilliant on screen duo of Hardy and Gandolfini, as well as a script which pays off due to many chances that it takes. Hardy is still one of my favorite actors working today. As Bob, there is a nervous twitch with a soft spoken tone that makes you want to love this guy and not necessarily fear him. There is more brewing underneath the surface, but it’s a quiet storm that no one ever sees coming. Gandolfini presents his most honest supporting role in his final film before his untimely death. He has a lot of connections and isn’t afraid to use them no matter who it hurts. Aside from these two, the film also includes John Ortiz and the always powerful Noomi Rapace. It’s a cast that plays well with with characters that have seen and been through too much, but always strive for a greater good. What is fascinating to me is that director Michael Roskam takes a tale of lost souls and heartless thugs and makes the outcome feel hopeful. The setting of New York City in the winter time is perfect for a story that is at times very cold and brutal. The pacing of good unpredictability is what earns screenwriter Dennis Lehane the highest praise i have given in months. He creates good surprises not quickly, but instead lets them develop into an ending climax that gives a complete 180 to the characters we thought we knew and supported over 102 minutes. It’s a twist that i should’ve seen coming from miles away, but because of how many different stories this film tells, it never had time to materialize in my mind. The dialogue is very slowburned, but charming with lots of dark humor. The best of it comes anytime our two male leads are on camera together. This is a very worthy last hurrah for the great James Gandolfini, and i am glad because i don’t think any single actor did more for the crime genre in the last twenty years. It’s tough to recommend a film like this because we are in an age where people want results right away, but The Drop is a slowburn that would rather take the time to tell a great story with characters who always have something more to hide. I would recommend this film on the basis alone that i enjoyed it because it felt like something fresh in a decade where crime dramas (Minus The Iceman) have pretty much been one and the same. The Drop is more than all of that because it proves that good acting can elevate a good script much higher than we could ever expect. Hardy has always been destined for the big time, and it’s roles like this and Locke that he shines the brightest. I can never understand how a man from Hammersmith, London can make a Brooklyn accent sound so authentic. It reflects the kind of charasmatic ambiance that Hardy has used to take the roles that only he wants to take. Kudos to good film making and good acting. The Drop is the best movie to come out this weekend, and should be seen by more people.