The Drop

A seemingly mild-mannered bartender (Tom Hardy), who also serves as the movie’s narrator, tells us that some bars in his Brooklyn neighborhood serve as “The Drop,” the mob’s collection place for the evening’s ill-gotten gains. This exposition lays a foundation for potential dread of something horrible happening, even though not much does: The bartender saves a puppy in distress, befriends a girl, and helps the police with information when the bar gets robbed. But because the mob is involved, you get the feeling violence is just around the corner.

ClearPlay In Action!

There are some gruesome images in The Drop – a shooting, a dismembered arm, a beaten dog – that ClearPlay trims. Also trimmed are about 95 profanities, the majority being the F-word. The movie deals with the grimy underside of a community, making it an undesirable entertainmentfor kids.

Is there an outpouring of goodness in The Drop?...

Some great, understated performances grace The Drop, particularly those of Hardy and James Gandolfini as the bar’s former owner. Hardy gives the impression of being slow-witted, but he exhibits an awareness under the surface, one that sees through the veneer of the darkness and interprets where the true threats to the neighborhood lie. The movie requires patience and thoughtfulness, and maybe a dark side from the viewer, to appreciate the approaching menace.

Marty Nabhan, ClearPlay Drip

Rated R for some strong violence and pervasive language; 106 mins; Directed by Micha?l R. Roskam