MovieChat Forums > The Drop (2014) Discussion > possibly the best film i have seen in ye...

possibly the best film i have seen in years.

posted 9 years ago by oundjianm
24 replies | jump to latest

I have never seen such a perfect depiction of a deeply traumatised man who miraculously has managed to keep his humanity and love for innocence and purity.

It was probably the most believable flawed hero archetype I have been able to connect with on such a deep level.
To be able to take people mocking him day in day out but not be phased because inside he knows he has had to do horrible things, but he has fought with everything he has to keep his core humanity, so much so that he is nearly emotionally dead. All his energy has been sucked out of him but no one will ever be able to take away his integrity.
That is clearly the one thing he will sooner die before giving up.

I am an atheist and I hardly ever get choked up at the mention of god as the cliché's are generally cringe worthy but that last inner monologue what simply sublime....

"There's some sins that you commit that you can't come back from you know no matter how hard you try, you just can't, you know it's like the devil is waiting for your body to quit, because he knows, he knows, that he already owns your soul and then, I think maybe there's no devil.
You die and god he says; "nah, nah, you can't come in you have to leave now. you have to leave and go away and you have to be alone. you have to be alone forever!"".

That was the saddest most heartfelt monologue I have heard in a long time.
He knows how screwed he is but he accepts his fate. It is not self pity, it is pure acceptance.
Just left me in tears...

I think I found my new favourite film.

[–] nite_eternal 9 years ago

well put and I totally agree. I bought this movie and I've watched it 3 or 4 times this year.

[–] CrystalBlu 9 years ago

Absolutely, I have also added this to my list of favorites. What a great way to remember Gandolfini, also one of my all time favorites. Tom Hardy was a real treat in this movie. Such depth of soul.

[–] Keiwei 9 years ago

This is one of the most underrated and underappreciated movies in film history. When you take a look at the garbage that saturates theaters, and a gem like this falls by the wayside in not being put out in wide release or in limited viewing, it's frustrating. If you don't know of Tom Hardy or Gandolfini then you've probably missed this excellent film. If you don't hear about from an informed friend or word of mouth you've missed out. It's so sad.

I'm an admirer of Mr. Hardy's and wanted to catch up on some of his work. I rented The Drop and Locke. While I liked Locke and thought he was incredible in it, I bought The Drop. Hardy's performance as the put upon cousin of a failed wanna-be gangster was captivating. The OP put it best when stated that the energy had been sucked out him yet his integrity remained intact. You get a sense that he knows his cousin Marv is a piece of crap when he is taking to Nadia and he tells her about how Marv thought he was hard until a REAL hard man made him flinch--end of the crew. Yet he is still loyal to Marv, even defending him at times. I just love Bob Saginowski, and Hardy's portrayal of him--brilliant. Gotta go back to work now. Cheers.

[–] bear022013-909-645034 8 years ago

Well stated.

[–] jharmon64 9 years ago

I found it to be a fine film but not "that great".

I'd never heard of it, so I had no expectations. Gandolfini & Schoenarts (?) steal the show. Rapace and the villains are solid, but Hardy is just pedestrian as usual. The film was solid despite him IMO. His performance in the last third of the film improves but he's just OK overall.

Creasy: Okay, my friend. It's off to the next life for you. I guarantee you, you won't be lonely..

[–] ricoliv 8 years ago

Hardy's character is supposed to be "pedestrian"-- on the surface. A major point of the film (and of Hardy's character) is summed up in Marv's warning to Eric which is (heavily paraphrasing), "Bob may look like a pushover but you had better be careful not to piss him off." If Tom Hardy had played the role full-bore from the beginning, the impact of the final scenes would have been lost. As it stands, he infuses the character of Bob with infinite gradation, so that the viewer will accept the co-existence of the dog-lover with that of the hardened killer who emerges at the end. (This is hinted at, earlier in the film, in the detached skill with which he disposes of the severed arm, suggesting that he has done this sort of thing before.)

In any event, we will have to agree to disagree about the "Hardy is just pedestrian as usual" bit of criticism, since "pedestrian" is the last word anyone who knew anything about acting would use to describe any of Tom Hardy's performances.

[–] richieprimo 8 years ago

Hardy's character is supposed to be "pedestrian"-- on the surface. A major point of the film (and of Hardy's character) is summed up in Marv's warning to Eric which is (heavily paraphrasing), "Bob may look like a pushover but you had better be careful not to piss him off." If Tom Hardy had played the role full-bore from the beginning, the impact of the final scenes would have been lost. As it stands, he infuses the character of Bob with infinite gradation, so that the viewer will accept the co-existence of the dog-lover with that of the hardened killer who emerges at the end. (This is hinted at, earlier in the film, in the detached skill with which he disposes of the severed arm, suggesting that he has done this sort of thing before.)

Excellent point - well put!

~{RP}~

"I dont think you fully understand, Bigelow.. You've been murdered."

[–] MovieFella23 9 years ago

Love this response

[–] vendor-14 9 years ago

Very well put. I just saw this film and was stunned by Tom Hardy's performance. It was absolutely brilliant. The walk. The intelligent eyes in the neutral face. That heartbreaking monologue. The courage to seek out Nadia and give her an opening. The subtle joy breaking through the careful facade when he hears the chimes on the back door closing for the second time. Amazing.

[–] PattyGJones 8 years ago

I'm totally with you. I had never heard of Tom Hardy before seeing The Drop, and he blew me away. The "heartbreaking monologue" and "subtle joy" you point out had me in tears -- all three times I've watched this little jewel of a film. I wish I could come up with a stronger word than "amazing" for this performance, but can't do better than you did. Somebody on this board called Hardy our new Brando, and I'll say a resounding "DITTO" to that.

I'm only in Show Biz by injection

[–] WilbertoSilva 9 years ago

I'm a big fan of Hardy and Gandolfini but I avoided this film because I'd heard it was boring and uneventful...how wrong they were. It's no masterpiece like Fast and The Furious 17 (or whatever they're onto now), but it's impeccable in it's pacing and story telling. It's a slow burner with enough going on to keep you gripped, and the pay off is massively satisfying. What a great film, it's just a shame it's not appreciated as much as it should be.

[–] dionnelee1 9 years ago

The last 10 minutes were decent but it was very hard to sit through. Bored

[–] Dragonsouls 9 years ago

Riding his demons and using them for good. Reminds me of Batman.

[–] krh_1234 8 years ago

I too found it a little drab, but it was ok. I'm unsure though why you capitalized the word "was" in your subject line. Are you saying that the movie is now no longer boring? If so, can I get a copy of this newer, more exciting version?