‘There are some sins that you commit that you can’t come back from…’
For some reason, I initially tried to resist Tom Hardy. I found his output frustrating. I loved Bronson, but didn’t care for Hardy’s ostentatious turn as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. Alfie Solomon is probably the best thing about Peaky Blinders, but I found Taboo to be just unspeakably awful. During lock down however, our relationship has blossomed (something about which I’m sure he’s delighted). It started with Locke. A film I have come to believe may be the most underrated of the last decade. And now, we have The Drop…
A botched robbery at a bar used as a drop off point for dirty money sets in motion a series of events with dire ramifications for all involved. Trying to make sense of a tangled web of intrigue and deception are bar owner Cousin Marv (James Gandolfini), his barman Bob (Tom Hardy) and beleaguered detective Torres (John Ortiz).
Michaël R. Roskam’s film is an interesting one in as much as it harks back to the classic noir thrillers of the ’40s and ’50s while still feeling relevant and modern. As with so many of his characters, Hardy’s Bob Saginowski is complex and nuanced, in a genre that is often so lacking in either. He can move between wide eyed compassion and insidious menace in a moment, and this spectrum of emotion lends itself effectively to a film that always tries to keep the audience guessing. Likewise, Gandolfini’s struggling Marv is nothing like fellow mob boss Tony Soprano. This creation is much more sleazy. Much more grubby.
The supporting cast excels with Noomi Rapace’s endearing femme fatale a particular highlight, but Matthias Schoenaerts is equally as impressive as the shady MacGuffin-esque Eric Deeds. All contribute to a cast that allows the story to breathe with subtle shades of grey rather than each character being either all good or all bad.
The Drop is a crime film that has no interest in shootouts or explosions. This is a cold take on those on the fringes of organised crime – and how their choices can end in heartbreak and mayhem. Worth seeking out.