“The Drop” Review: Ref Souto thinks you could stand to wait on this one

“The Drop” is a crime drama from the mind that brought us “The Town” and “Gone Baby Gone.” Unfortunately this one is not nearly as exciting, and isn’t as well constructed. What could have made a great short film is painfully dragged out over an hour and a half, and is only made watchable by its excellent finale.

We start with the incredible cast that isn’t given very much to do. Tom Hardy nails his role as the lowly barkeep with limited social skills, and is convincing as a new puppy dad. Noomi Rapace is always a breath of fresh air to see on the screen, as she doesn’t fit the normal type cast for the roles she gets, but her character isn’t given much to do in this except be the victim and a potential love interest for our lead. Add to this the late James Gandolfini who must have been told, “Play Tony Soprano, but pretend like you aren’t.” His role required little range, and must have been a walk in the park for him. Easily interchangeable with Robert DeNiro who usually phones in his performances as well.

The story itself was interesting, but there were far too many moments where nothing was happening. The interesting plot points were separated by 10 minutes of nothingness, and it made the movie just drag out. They had an interesting bit by introducing us to Rocco, the lovable Pittbull pup, but then turn this character defining creature into a plot device that is misused. We never get to see the promised transformation that the introduction of the dog teases us with. It’s when we get to the final 25 minutes that things become interesting, and pieces start falling into place.

Someone in the theater mentioned it gave them a “A History of Violence” vibe, and they’re correct, but it was too little too late. Though the ending left everyone happy, the path to get there was long and arduous. There is very little to convince audiences to see the flick again, but enough there to warrant one watching. Catch this one at home, via Netflix or RedBox, but it isn’t worth a trip to the theater. 2.5/5