The Drop (2014)
December 24, 2014 11:04 AM - Subscribe
Bartender Bob Saginowski finds himself at the center of a robbery gone awry and entwined in an investigation that digs deep into his Brooklyn neighborhood's past where friends, families, and foes all work together to make a living - no matter the cost.
Based on the short story Animal Rescue by Dennis Lehane, The Drop is dedicated to its star, the late James Gandolfini. Originally set in Boston (the story featured in an anthology called Boston Noir), the filmmakers moved the location to Brooklyn. It's Belgian director Michaël R. Roskam's first English-language film, and apart from Gandolfini all the leading actors are European - Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, and Matthias Schoenaerts.
The neo-noir movie, which just missed out on Edgar Wright's Top Ten of 2014 list, does a great PR job on pitbulls. Meet Rocco the puppy (short clip on the official fb page). Tom Hardy defends the breed "Did you know that the Pit bull’s the highest decorated military dog? It’s true, because of their loyalty, and its sensitivity." Tom Hardy demonstrates how to hug a puppy.
Based on the short story Animal Rescue by Dennis Lehane, The Drop is dedicated to its star, the late James Gandolfini. Originally set in Boston (the story featured in an anthology called Boston Noir), the filmmakers moved the location to Brooklyn. It's Belgian director Michaël R. Roskam's first English-language film, and apart from Gandolfini all the leading actors are European - Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, and Matthias Schoenaerts.
The neo-noir movie, which just missed out on Edgar Wright's Top Ten of 2014 list, does a great PR job on pitbulls. Meet Rocco the puppy (short clip on the official fb page). Tom Hardy defends the breed "Did you know that the Pit bull’s the highest decorated military dog? It’s true, because of their loyalty, and its sensitivity." Tom Hardy demonstrates how to hug a puppy.
That's a really interesting collection of reviews, maxsparber - thank you. I'm always here for gangster films (and Vito Russo shout-outs).
This is an Irish mob movie set in a time when the Irish mob is gone, and all hints of it have been erased.
This never occurred to me, but it's another emptiness in a story that's full of them - Bob trying to erase his self, Marv's father on life support but not alive, the Cathedral that's soon to be condos.
posted by Gin and Broadband at 2:52 PM on December 26, 2014 [2 favorites]
This is an Irish mob movie set in a time when the Irish mob is gone, and all hints of it have been erased.
This never occurred to me, but it's another emptiness in a story that's full of them - Bob trying to erase his self, Marv's father on life support but not alive, the Cathedral that's soon to be condos.
posted by Gin and Broadband at 2:52 PM on December 26, 2014 [2 favorites]
Watched this after an algorithm suggestion that was surprisingly accurate and wow, it's a great little crime thriller, exactly what I was looking for last night. The acting from Gandolfini and Hardy is excellent, the writing is far above the usual crime thriller, and the story was twisty, violent but not overly gorey, and on a very human criminal scale, with subthreads about the im/possibility of redemption that are rich and fascinating. Kind of suspected something like the reveal towards the end but not the specifics of it, so it worked perfectly. I want to watch at least the first half hour again to catch new meaning in Hardy and Gandolfini's conversations early on.
Noomi Rapace was also excellent in a role that uses her mostly as a victim but allowed for enough complexity to keep the character interesting and real. Her conversation with Hardy in the bar the night of the Super Bowl was heart-breaking - just a few lines each but so effective.
One quick encapsulation of what made this film so good was Ann Dowd in a minor role as Gandolfini's sister Dottie. Very brief scenes, but her acting and Lehane's screenplay etch her character perfectly in a few sharp strokes - so well done on all sides.
Highly recommended for fans of relatively intimate crime thrillers.
posted by mediareport at 8:45 AM on June 18
Noomi Rapace was also excellent in a role that uses her mostly as a victim but allowed for enough complexity to keep the character interesting and real. Her conversation with Hardy in the bar the night of the Super Bowl was heart-breaking - just a few lines each but so effective.
One quick encapsulation of what made this film so good was Ann Dowd in a minor role as Gandolfini's sister Dottie. Very brief scenes, but her acting and Lehane's screenplay etch her character perfectly in a few sharp strokes - so well done on all sides.
Highly recommended for fans of relatively intimate crime thrillers.
posted by mediareport at 8:45 AM on June 18
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posted by maxsparber at 7:49 PM on December 24, 2014 [3 favorites]