Michael R. Roskam’s latest character-driven, neo-noir “The Drop” takes place in a cold and gloomy working-class neighborhood in New York — the kind of neighborhood where all business and justice are handled outside of the law but within the neighborhood.
The movie was written by Crime author Dennis Lehane wrote this movie —adapted from his own short story “Animal Rescue” — and watching it, you get the same sinister vibe characteristic of his other works, such as “Mystic River.” His characters are usually deeply Catholic, and by committing crimes, they acknowledge they’re sinning, but they also have their own set of moral codes and see their crimes as necessities. They let the dark secret be absorbed into the neighborhood mythology.
The people who inhabit “The Drop” are narrow-minded; they’re a tight-knit community set in its ways. This is familiar cinematic territory, but Roskam — a Belgian director who made the Oscar-nominated “Bullhead” a few years ago —shows an impressive understanding and navigation of this wholly American environment. His transition from foreign-language filmmaking to English is seamless.
One of those narrow-minded people is the lonely bartender, Bob (Tom Hardy), who works at a tavern run by his cousin, Marv (James Gandolfini). The bar is owned by some shady people and, oftentimes, serves as a place for people to perform illegal money drops. Still, Bob doesn’t really want anything to do with crime.
Of course, since this is film noir, we know Bob’s going to run into trouble, and that trouble comes in peculiar form: an abused pit-bull puppy he happens to find in a trash can on his way home. The trash can belongs to the troubled recovering addict, Nadia (Noomi Repace), but it’s not her dog, so the two strike up a friendship and she helps him take care of it. Before long, Nadia’s unstable ex, Eric (Matthias Schoenaerts — another Belgian who starred in “Bull Head” and does an uncanny American street accent — comes around causing trouble as the dog’s original owner.
Thankfully, Roskam doesn’t linger on the animal-abuse aspect of the story too long; he gives us just enough to gain our sympathies and then moves on without exploiting it any further.
Aside from being a way to thicken the plot, the puppy — later named Rocco —serves to further emphasize Bob’s non-criminal, non-intimidating attitude. Rocco is a symbol of innocence; a helpless creature abused and abandoned for Bob to come and rescue. And as the movie goes on, Rocco becomes one of his only real friends and the only other character he can completely trust. In an otherwise dark, gritty movie, it’s comforting to see such a touching and upbeat on-screen relationship; yet, Roskam never lets the Bob-Rocco relationship become too sappy.
Once again, Hardy turns in a top-tier performance. As good as he is at playing loud, boisterous characters — in “Bronson,” for example — he’s even better at playing introverted ones. Hardy gives a powerfully understated performance.
“The Drop” also marks the last on-screen performance from the late Gandolfini. Cousin Marv might be the most complex, tormented character he has played on the big screen. Having portrayed the most memorable gangster on TV, Tony Soprano, Gandolfini will always exert a macho exterior, but Marv is a broken soul. Marv is a man who wishes he could have had more in life, a man full of regrets, and Gandolfini plays him with the right amount of firmness and melancholy.
Since “The Drop” is noir, you can expect the narrative to become complex and murky. The real mysteries lie in the characters and their motivations: As it turns out Bob isn’t as innocent as he appears, and Marv has hidden agendas of his own. The movie can be a bit of a slow burn, but at the same time, there’s an overwhelming sense of dread and paranoia brewing just below the film’s surface, ultimately bubbling up during a tense climactic confrontation.
There are a few issues with the picture, namely involving some of the supporting players. Repace does the best she can, but her role is overshadowed by the men, and police detective Torres (John Ortiz) fails to make much of an impression, beyond providing some important information at the end.
“The Drop” isn’t revolutionary, but it’s also an expertly made crime movie — one that recognizes the value of characters and atmosphere, instead of twists and turns.