The Drop

Plot: Bob (Tom Hardy) and his cousin Marv (James Gandolfini)  work at a bar owned by Chechen gangsters. Marv needs some money so he enlists Eric Deeds (Matthias Schoenaerts) to rob the bar. Detective Torres (John Ortiz) comes around to investigate to raise the tension level.  Meantime Bob meets Deeds ex-girl friend Nadia (Noomi Repace) and adopts his old dog. This sets a conflict with Deeds that gets deeper as Marv's plan plays out.  [imdb]    [photos]

Review: The Drop is a crime drama with Tom Hardy and Noomi Replace underacting -- very subdued -- almost like Noir movie; but the styling of the movie is gritty not stylized. Despite the subtle acting, the interpersonal scenes are solid and engaging. The dialog is similarly understated.  

The early film evokes Rocky, the boxing movie, wiht scenes about pets being used to introduce a shy potential girlfriend. 

The soundtrack was minimal, and the photography was pretty standard. 

Overall, the slow pacing sapped energy, but the well plotted story steadily increased the tension leading to the surprising end. 

Cast: Tom Hardy, Noomi Repace, James Gandolfini, John Ortiz, Matthias Schoenaerts

Directed by: Michael Roskam (based on the short story by Dennis Lehane)

Rating: 2.5 stars: Slow moving, but still enjoyable. Recommended.

More: Three puppies were used in the filming of the movie. The puppies kept growing too fast. 

Even More. James Gandolfini finished filming prior to his death -- that is there were no scenes rewritten for that reason. 

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