Featuring the stellar talents of Tom Hardy and James Gandolfini, this film marked the final screen appearance of the latter. The American crime drama, The Drop, is set to air on Film 4 tonight.
The plot revolves around a bartender working in his cousin’s pub, which doubles as an illicit cash ‘drop’ for the Chechen mafia. The narrative thickens when the bar is targeted by armed robbers and the bartender stumbles upon an abandoned puppy.
Despite its box office success and critical acclaim at the time of release, fans still consider the film ‘underrated’, praising the ‘terrific’ performances of the lead actors.
Bob Saginowski (Hardy), who works at the Brooklyn bar managed by his cousin Marvin Stipler (Gandolfini), finds himself embroiled in an investigation after their establishment is hit by masked robbers. As the mafia boss whose money was stolen threatens them, it becomes clear that there’s more to the heist than initially apparent.
In a parallel storyline, Bob rescues an abandoned pit bull puppy outside the home of a woman named Nadia, who assists him in caring for the injured animal. However, her troubled past resurfaces with the return of her abusive ex-boyfriend, who happens to be the original owner of the pup, reports <a href=”https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/underrated-crime-drama-starring-legend-36341469″ rel=”Follow” target=”_self”>the Mirror</a>.
Directed by Michaël R. Roskam, the film was released in 2014, following the untimely death of Gandolfini due to a heart attack in Rome the previous year.
Thus, The Drop became his posthumous swansong. The film garnered widespread praise from critics and exceeded box office predictions.
Despite this, devotees of the film insist it has slipped through the cracks, branding it an “overlooked masterpiece”.
Boasting an impressive 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes, one enthusiast wrote: “The Drop is such an underrated film. It is well directed, well acted and it features a beautiful puppy.
Tom Hardy and James Gandolfini deliver terrific performances, in what would unfortunately be the last for Gandolfini. Matthias Schoenaerts was really incredible, as was Noomi Rappace. The emotion she brought to her character was so believable.”
Meanwhile, another reviewer who awarded it a perfect five-star rating said simply: “Hidden gem no doubt.”
Additional admirers have lavished praise on the acting prowess: “Raw, exceptionally well acted. Moving in a decidedly unsentimental fashion. Irresistible yet flawed hero,” penned one critic.
A fellow fan said: “The plot unfolds slowly, but the tension is there from the start. The dialogs could have been written by Hemingway. Hardy is obviously the star but Gandolfini as Marv is real. So is Shoenaerts as Eric. The soundtrack makes it even more enjoyable. I believe The Drop easily makes my top 20.”
The Drop airs on Film 4 at 11.40pm tonight, Friday 5 December.