The world of film lost an all time great when James Gandolfini passed away in June of 2013 at the young age of 51. Gandolfini made a career of playing tough guy criminal types, though his talents on television and the big screen showcased his versatility as a truly great and dynamic actor. While I’m genuinely upset that I won’t be able to see Gandolfini age into the role of senior Hollywood Capo, his final film “The Drop” proves to be a fitting and brilliant swan song, and a great emblem to remember a great talent.
Belgian born director Michael Roskam takes the novel, written by Dennis Lehane, and sets a perfect rendition to the screen. Roskam gives the viewer a pure New York feel with the caper, from the darkened alleys and streets to the steam puffing sewer covers and isolated neighborhoods.
The story opens on December 27, and the cold and lonely post-holiday feel is perfectly embodied in each and every scene. There’s nothing more depressing than a cold street adorned with Christmas lights still flickering for no reason and wreaths and ribbons clinging on to their final days before the inevitable. Roskam sets the mood early with these subtleties, lost on many but fully appreciated by those that worship detail.
“Mad Max” star Tom Hardy plays Bob Saginowski, a barkeep at a dive type tavern seated in a blue collar Brooklyn neighborhood. Bob seems nothing more than an incompetent simpleton, demonstrated by his jumbled burrough vernacular and compassion for a puppy he finds in a garbage can, but as the story unfolds his character is revealed to have far greater depths than this initial facade would indicate.
Tom’s cousin Marv (Gandolfini) is the owner of the bar (aptly called Cousin Marv’s). In reality, Marv and the pub are under the complete control of Chechen mobsters who use the bar as a front to launder ill gotten money. “Money changes hands all night long in Brooklyn.” Bob narrates as the film opens. “Where it ends up is the Drop Bar.”
The movie becomes a high octane thriller on two fronts; Tom beginning a relationship with Nadia (Noomi Rapace) who still lives in fear of her mentally unstable ex boyfriend, and a random robbery of the bar one night and the subsequent scramble to identify the perpetrators and recover the stolen dirty money.
The unique characters join the cold and brooding Brooklyn setting to make “The Drop” a fun film. Tom Hardy shows great range of depth in the role of Bob. A character that’s a complete opposite of the “Mad Max” tough guy, Hardy is quickly moving up the rungs of Hollywood leading men. I left with a new actor in my list of top favorites.
Gandolfini lays down a robust final role. Marv is half a dozen steps down on the ladder of power from the iconic Tony Soprano role that made Gandolfini famous worldwide. He’s a hard headed man with a dislike of the changing demographics in his Brooklyn neighborhood.
Marv is shown to have family issues as he lives with his sister and deals with an unseen father’s medical bills. Nevertheless, the character is still made up of sleaze and brutality – traits consistent with Gandolfini’s iconic roles.
Secondary roles fill out the rest of the setting – the perfect types one would expect to find scattered throughout this shady Brooklyn neighborhood. John Ortiz plays Detective Torres, a streetwise cop who is investigating the robbery but obviously knows the bar is more than just a place to grab a pint after a long day. Torres and Tom banter over the closing of a neighborhood Church each has seen the other attending. Its the type of dialogue that gives the script that perfect nostalgic neighborhood feel.
Michael Aronov is flawless as the Chechen boss Chovka. I enjoyed the change of pace from the standard Italian crime syndicate and the inclusion of a Chzech outfit is consistent with the ever caging demographics of the United States and New York City in particular, further illustrating Marv’s old school hatred for his Italian roots being slowly overrun in Brooklyn.
My favorite role in the movie is that of Nadia’s psychotic ex boyfriend, played by the unheralded but promising Matthias Schoenaerts. Schoenaerts owns the role dutifully, from the basic and typical stalking ex lover to the flat out criminal makeup of the deranged low life character. As we lose Gandolfini, we can hope Schoenaerts has a long career of playing bad guys in front of him.
“The Drop” is a great film. Its story is pretty standard but the characters and the setting make it superb. Its a great homage to the talents of Gandolfini, and a launching pad for Hardy and company into stardom.
by – Matt Christopher
