dvd of the week
Tom Hardy is Bob, a slow-talking, seemingly sweet bartender, who finds an abandoned pit bull and nurses him back to health with Nadia, a wary woman with a past (Noomi Rapace). Bob works for Cousin Marv (James Gandolfini in his last role), who has made a series of terrible deals with Chechen thugs, including letting his bar serve as an occasional drop site for the night’s ill-gotten gains. Enter Eric Deeds (Matthias Schoenaerts), Nadia’s ex, the dog’s original owner and a braggart murderer. As the four head to a collision, secrets are revealed and people are murdered. Gandolfini is doing a hard-luck version of Tony Soprano, but he does it wonderfully, especially with Dennis Lehane’s darkly hilarious lines. But the juicy center of the film is Hardy’s sexy, sweet and slightly creepy performance as Bob. It alone is reason to see The Drop.
