The Drop (2014)
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A barman becomes entangled in a dangerous web of mafia dealings and a desperate robbery after rescuing an abandoned dog.
The story
In Brooklyn, Robert "Bob" Saginowski tends a neighborhood bar run by his cousin Marvin Stipler, which the Chechen mafia uses as a "drop" for illegal money. After Bob and a woman named Nadia rescue a battered pit bull pup named Rocco, the bar is robbed by two masked gunmen. Bob becomes involved in the investigation, questioning the robbers' motives while dealing with threats from the Chechen mob. As Marv grows paranoid and desperate to pay for his father's life support, Bob must navigate the dangerous underworld of his neighborhood while trying to protect Nadia and their new dog.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Bob Saginowski works at a Brooklyn bar used by the Chechen mafia as a money drop. After Bob and a woman named Nadia rescue a dog named Rocco, the bar is robbed. Bob notices a broken watch on one robber, leading him to interact with NYPD Detective Torres. Marv, the bar owner, orchestrated the robbery to pay for his father's life support but is now pressured by the Chechens to recover the money. Bob discovers that a man named Eric Deeds, who claims to have killed a man named Richie Whelan, is seeking the dog. Marv eventually kills a thief named Fitz and recruits Deeds to rob the bar again on Super Bowl night. On that night, Deeds kidnaps Nadia and demands money from Bob. Bob reveals that Marv had previously ordered him to kill Whelan years ago to cover a debt. Bob shoots Deeds dead. The Chechens arrive, kill Marv, and appoint Bob as the new manager. Torres later insinuates to Bob that he is responsible for both Whelan's and Deeds's disappearances.
- First release year
- 2014
- Runtime (minutes)
- 106
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Michaël R. Roskam
- Writers
- Dennis Lehane · writer
- Cast and characters
- Tom Hardy · Bob Saginowski; Noomi Rapace · Nadia; James Gandolfini · Marvin Stipler; Matthias Schoenaerts · Chovka Umarov; John Ortiz · Fitz; Eric Deeds · Eric Deeds
- Genres
- crime; drama
- Themes
- loyalty; organized crime; sacrifice; guilt
- Tone and mood
- bleak; gritty
- Premise and plot tags
- crime drama; neo-noir; mafia; animal rescue
- Source material / true-story basis
- Dennis Lehane's 2009 short story "Animal Rescue"
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews, with praise for the performances of Tom Hardy and James Gandolfini, and was noted for its smart script and cinematography.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 89% · review count: 204; Metacritic · score: 69 · scale: 100 · review count: 36
- Production trivia
- James Gandolfini's final film role.; The film was based on a short story by Dennis Lehane.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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