Review: Gandolfini, Hardy are powerful in compelling thriller ‘The Drop’

Posted on September 19, 2014

By MARK VIOLA

Featuring outstanding work from James Gandolfini (in his final performance) as well as Tom Hardy (“The Dark Knight,” “Lawless”) along with a calculated script from the author of “Gone Baby Gone” and “Mystic River,” “The Drop” is a tense thriller which could easily find itself on my Top 10 list at the end of the year.

Although Gandolfini has received significant praise for his performance, and rightfully so, it is Hardy who carries this film to its surprising end, thanks to his understated work as Bob Saginowski, a bartender who finds himself in trouble on multiple fronts.

Some may find the pacing a bit slow, but the story, combined with the direction of Michaël R. Roskam, who makes his English-language debut, provides a surprising level of tension and almost dread as Bob navigates dangerous waters.

Hardy is probably best known for his confident, strong characters in “Inception” and “The Dark Knight,” but my personal favorite performance of his (up until now) was in the under-appreciated film “Lawless,” in which he played a quiet, brutal and slow-spoken bootlegger in director John Hillcoat’s period gangster film. He is one of a few actors who can play both ends of the charismatic spectrum with such apparent ease.

The film is rated R for some strong violence and pervasive language.

(This is a shortened version of the full review available in our printed or e-edition papers.)

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