This one took me completely by surprise. I had no idea what I was walking into, and I had no idea who director Michael R. Roskam is. I knew that it is James Gandolfini's final feature film appearance and that it is a crime drama; after seeing A Walk Among the Tombstones, I expected something similar. Each features cold, rough exteriors with cold, rough characters, and each threatens violence far more than showing it. While the chilling, dreamlike atmosphere and simmering tension of both films feel alike, this one disturbed me far more.
A main reason I so liked The Drop is because the whole film is about the two very different sides to its central character, Bob the bartender (Tom Hardy). Bob is a quiet, hardworking, isolated man in Brooklyn who tirelessly works for his cousin, the bar's owner Marv (James Gandolfini). The bar, much like our protagonist, operates on two levels, the lesser-known being "the drop" where the mob collects money. My biggest complaint about the film is that the gangsters are foreign (Chechen, if memory serves), but then again, none of the characters are really "good guys", so take it as you will. Marv stages a robbery at his own bar which triggers an increasingly violent string of events with the mob, culminating in Marv's death. I find that the "crime" aspect of this film isn't its strong suit; without the film's drama, the crime plot is vague and therefore dull.
Early on, Bob finds an injured pit bull puppy abandoned in a trash can. The owner of the house, Nadia (Noomi Rapace), helps Bob nurse it back to health. Their relationship -- which never really comes to fruition, thankfully -- becomes fraught when Eric Deeds starts stalking Bob and Nadia. Deeds previously dated Nadia, and was the abusive owner of the injured pit bull; he demands money of Bob and attempts to make violent claims on Nadia. But gentle and kind Bob, whom Marv warns us not to underestimate, puts an end to Deeds' sadistic overtures in the film's riveting climax.
The performers are all spot-on. Rapace skillfully holds her own as both wounded and tough, and Gandolfini lords over the proceedings as both paternal and desperate. Even the secondary players are really solid, notably Matthias Schoenaerts (playing Eric Deeds) and John Ortiz (playing Detective Torres). But Tom Hardy is the shocking hero of this film, and not just the plot. His performance singly makes this film worth the watch (which is saying a lot, because Roskam's direction, the set design, and cinematography are all enchanting). His chameleon voice takes yet another surprising turn with a deliciously gruff Brooklyn accent, and he internalizes his character so much that I quickly forgot that Bob wasn't a real person. Hardy's every moment on screen is electrifying, with innumerable emotional beats during each faraway gaze and impeccably specific introverted mannerisms. And before the end, we see that the mild-mannered hunk is also the smartest character we've seen in a recent crime drama: Bob allows himself to be underestimated advantageously, and we see Bob the puppy become Bob the vicious pit bull and back again in the blink of an eye.
IMDb: The Drop
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