Corey Brueggemeyer, For The Miami Student
"Scarface." "The Godfather." "Goodfellas." When one thinks of a classic gangster movie, images of lavish wealth and uncontrolled power come to mind. We walk into the theater expecting to see stacks of cash, mounds of cocaine and immeasurable violence, rarely taking notice of the Fredos and the Spiders of the gangster world that remain hidden in the shadows of mafia opulence.
Michael Roskam's "The Drop" delves deep into a dark, seedy world of true thug life never before displayed on the silver screen. Rather than focus on the dons of the mafia underworld, "The Drop" sheds light on the often-overlooked middlemen that receive all of the risk, but none of the glory.
The film follows of the story of a local Brooklyn "drop bar," a place where various illegal enterprises bring in dirty money to be laundered and collected by the mob. James Gandolfini ("The Sopranos," "Zero Dark Thirty," "In the Loop") in his final film gives a stunning posthumous performance as Marv, a local bar owner of one of these "drop bars." He articulates Marv's resentment and self-loathing in a way that would make any fan of film sad to see him go. His performance is suave yet effortless, a mark of a truly great artist that will forever be missed.
In spite of Gandolfini's terrific performance in this film, it is really Tom Hardy that steals the show. Hardy has already demonstrated his brilliance in films like "The Dark Knight Rises," "Warrior," "Inception" and "Bronson," but with this film he makes the case as being one of the best working actors in Hollywood. Hardy' mix of impassive and expressive creates a brilliantly simple, yet esoteric character that drives this film to greatness. Hardy plays Bob, a lonely bartender whose life is inverted when gangsters invade the bar he works in, wrapping him into a complex story that involves the mob, his family and a pit bull.
If it weren't for this film's subtly complex storyline and phenomenal performances by the cast, it would be rather dull. Visually, this movie isn't anything extraordinary: the editing isn't that compelling, as certain scenes seem redundant or excessive, and the soundtrack fails to convey the dark, brooding mood that characterizes this film.
However, Dennis Lehane's terrific first screenplay shows why he is considered one of the best storywriters of our generation. Lehane has written many adapted novels such as "Gone Baby Gone," "Shutter Island" and "Mystic River," but he has made the seamless transition to original screenwriting with this film. Although the ending seemed a bit choppy, the intricate subplots perfectly shadowed the dark underbelly in which this film takes place.
While this film is not without its flaws, a terrific screenplay and seamless performances by the cast made this movie great. "The Drop" perfectly captures the murky and desperate nature of the mafia underworld mainly through standout performances by Tom Hardy and James Gandolfini. This film represents the loss of one of the great character actors of our generation, simultaneously introducing the beginning of a new breed of filmmaker, captained by Hardy, Roskam and Lehane.