The Drop(2014)

Cast: Tom Hardy, Naomi Rapace & James Gandolfini

Plot and Summary:

The Drop is an american crime drama about bookies handling in Brooklyn, new York. It was inspired from a short story " animal rescue" written by the writer of the fim Denis Lahane. Its about the life of Bob whose life gets altered after rescuing a dog. Tom Hardy plays Bob Saganowski, a timid looking bartender in his cousin Marvin's( played by James Gandolfini) Bar. He is a simple minded person who keeps to himself. One day when he is returning home he sees a pup in a trash can pretty beaten up and bleeding. He tries calling the people living in the place. Nadia( played by Naomi) sees the pup and offers to help.They raise the pup together.

One night the bar gets robbed by two masked men, Bob notices that one of them is wearing a broken watch and reports to the police. The policemen ( played by John ortiz ) recognizes bob from the church and greets him and enquires about the robbery and has suspicious look about Bob. Bob and Marvin are visited by Chovka " the Czechen gang leader "for whom the drops are handled by the bar. He shows a man in truck whose leg is rivetteted to the body and blood is dripping down and Bob doesn't recognize him. Czeckov warns them to find his money.

Marvin meets one of the Robbers and warns them not to step outside  we know that the robbery was set up by him .The friendship between Nadia and Bob grows stronger, Nadia babysits the pup for bob when he is at the bar and they take walks together. A stranger watches them and he goes and tells bob that the Dog is his and Bob must return it to him,  He later finds that his name is Eric Deeds ( A psychiatric who supposedly killed a kid Ritchie weyland some time ago). the same day a bag is hanged in the bad containing the severed hand of the robber. Marvin is shocked at this. Bob wraps the hand and goes out to dispose it. Marvin seeing bob do it says " you wrap it up like you've done it a thousand times " . some of Bob's past is revealed in this scene

Eric visits Bob many times and tries to blackmail him. He also comments about Nadia which stris up Bob's suspicions. He finally tells that he wants 10k dollars for the dog. Marvin planes his next big hit on the Superbowl night. meets up Eric and makes a deal to rob the bar in the Superbowl night.Now the date is set for the robbery. On the day Bob goes to Marvin's place and Marvin tells he is not well and he may not come tonight. Bob finally tells " if you are trying something desperate, some thing we cannot clean up this time " Eric draggs Nadia with him to the bar and waits for the day to end. Marvin gets to bar and waits for Eric. This is where the most of the important scenes takes place .

Bob kills Eric and tells him that he was the one who killed Ritchie to cover up the Marvin's schemes of stealing from his own bar. Tom hardy underplays his character so well that we fail to see his deception even though it is shown in the film so many times. Chovka comes up and tells that you are now the manager on for the bar and Marvin and him have made a deal, to send him to a place quite! In return for not touching his money.Finally Chovka asks Bob to tell" I am alone" and Bob obliges like he means every word.  The he says " Don't worry my man you've got friends".  After cleaning Eric 's body bob returns home and there is a moment in the car where he thinks to himself and this soliloquy is one of the most beautiful scenes in the movie

I quote

" There are these sins that you commit that you can't come back from, no matter how hard you try you just can't. Its like the devil is waiting for your body to quit. Cause he knows .... He knows and he already owns your soul. Then I think may be you know there is no devil. When you die God he says Nah.... Nah.... You can't come it. You have to leave now. You have to leave and go away and you have to be alone. You have to be alone forever."

I do not know from where did the director get these lines. Its brilliantly written and Tom Hardy gives more depth to this.

Finally Bob goes to Nadia's house . He now knows that what Nadia thinks of him and he says to her "I knew from yesterday that you need me stay away but  I want  you to say it. If you say it believe me Nadia, I will walk away right now" the film ends by both of them going out.

Verdict:

Even though the film starts slow. The depth of the story and the constant intrigue which the director keeps until the end pulls the film through. Naomi and Tom do a terrific job. Tom  understates his role so much that its very easy to believe him with his timid mannerism and dialogues makes you wanna watch it again and again.