‘The Drop’ a mindful meaty mouthful
Bob, Tom Hardy, is a quiet unassuming Bartender who works in his cousin’s bar, aptly called “Cousin Marv’s”. Marv, James Gandolfini, owned the bar, up until eight years before when he made a mistake. Marv’s Bar is one of the places that bookies and thugs use to drop their take. However, when the bar is robbed Bob gets caught within a complex story of paying back the thugs who took their money (and own the bar) and the police investigating the crime.
Into this mix, Bob meets Nadia, Noomi Rapace when he comes upon a wounded dog that was thrown into her trash can. Nadia helps Bob clean up the animal and later stock up on all the things he will need to care for the dog. It is curious that the dog, is rather like Bob and Nadia, for he is lonely, sad, and in need of affection. These commonalities allow Bob and Nadia to form a bond in a world that is layered with uncertainties and danger.
“The Drop” is based on a short story by writer Dennis Lehane entitled “Animal Rescue”. The title itself is indicative of how Bob meets Nadia and how small kindness can sometimes yield intangible gains. The question of how things wind up in this story, will Marv be able to pay the thugs back, who is play who is not as important as the underlying themes. The subliminal messages such as why Bob never takes communion. (Detective Torres, John Ortiz who has seen him at church notes this, and wonders why) and further, if Bob has done something which he feels is unforgivable, are his actions in the end justifiable?
Justice though, in this town is a murky thing. Bodies disappear all the time, and no one cares or makes mention of it. It is a survival of the fittest on the mean streets, in which the last man standing wins. Is that man though still beholden to another thug, or is he his own man? The twists and turns within this story are at times convoluted and transparent, yet we forgive this because, in the end, it is the standout performances that lift the film from a tired gangster fare into a subtle character study.
Hardy invests his Bob with a humanity that is clear throughout every frame; this is especially true with the relationship he develops with the dog. He has that white knight mentality which is kind and caring, while at the same time is quietly understated in its delivery. He is a church-going, animal-loving taciturn man. Yet there are surprises within him, which lend another layer to that quiet demeanor. It is the will to do what is in the moment right; a kind of unspoken gentleman’s code that knows the rules of the jungle and how to survive.
Nadia, Noomi Rapace begins the film as a suspicious character who demands Bob’s ID when he wants to take the dog. She is weary and worn from life and the many trials she has faced. Her tough exterior though melts when she helps Bob care for the dog. Here is another animal lover, and so there again is the implication that a love of animals equals a greater propensity for kindness.
If we follow this logic then in looking at Marv, there is a haunting lack of kindness. He lives with his sister in their dumpy house, scrounging to pay for their elderly father who is in a nursing home and under medical care. In one scene he equates being someone with owning his bar, saying that when he owned it, he was someone, and other people took notice. For him, it is all about how others view him. He validates his self-worth through money, power, and gaining the fear or respect of others.
Gandolfini’s Marv believes that Bob has wasted his life and in the end has accomplished nothing. He sees Bob buying rounds for an old woman who sits in that was Marv’s stool as throwing money away. His ability to empathize with others is non-existent as is any redemptive qualities, such as kindness. For Marv, it is all about the end game and what is in it for him. Is this a new kind of role for Gandolfini, no? One can even argue that this is the same old take on his other roles (such as Tony in “The Sopranos”).
In other words, there are no surprises here, but that being said, since he had played this role so many times, he did it with great agility. He did it well because the hard gangster, thug type was his M.O. and so we accept it without a care.
The standout performance here though (aside from Hardy and Rapace) must go to John Ortiz as Detective Torres. He is relentless in his pursuit and at the same time unerringly astute. Ortiz has the best line in the film and one which brings it to a resounding crescendo in soft and nuanced tones. Truly, without him, the film would not have packed the punch that it does.
This is not a film for those with weak stomachs or those who find the F word used with great effusiveness offensive. It is though one that asks important questions. Can someone’s actions be moral, when in the eyes of the law they are not? And further, if the result is to mitigate more pain, are they justifiable? Within a world this world of crime and danger who survives?