To me, this movie is perfection.

Let's be realistic.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Tom Hardy and Noomi Rapace are my two favorite actors. I truly think they're both brilliant. But this movie...ugh. The script was WEAK to say the least and I cannot believe I'm saying this but Hardy's performance was... not the best here. Ugh I feel sick even writing this. Honestly I thought his character was mentally handicapped, but at no point was I led to believe that was the point. I loveee Noomi Rapace but I could not for the life of me figure out what the point of her character even was???? Why was she there? Why does she even matter? I don't mind a slow burn of a movie as long as it's reallyyyy going somewhere... this wasn't... at all. Gandolfini plays a complete idiot who decides to try and dupe these eastern european thugs bc???? he used to be the man and now he's not. Honestly when after I asked "what is going on?" then I said "who cares"??? The cop....WHY WAS HE EVEN THERE????? what did that character really even contribute to the story? I was checking the time so often throughout this movie it was upsetting. It's an 1:46...felt like an eternity. weak weak weak script. oh god and the cinematography... good god. That blurred POV, slow reveal crap was GOD AWFUL! An incredible cast had no idea what to do with this mess. I gave it 4 only because of Hardy, Rapace and Gandolfini and my deep admiration for all of them.

Tom Hardy is absolutely superb. His character, Bob, must rate as one of the most sympathetic characters since Forest Gump! Yeah, ok... But really, watch it.It's a solid story with solid performances and direction.It's a low key thriller about low life criminals but full of character and tension.Yes, there's adog in it and that's just suckered me in more than usual.If you needed any further proof of what a superb actor Tom Hardy is, You're just not watching.

Clearly, this movie carries some violence and might not be everybody's cup of tea, but it is pillared by superb performances by Hardy - perhaps his best to date - Gandolfini, Rapace and Schoenaerts.Good dialogue, strong direction, impeccable photography, and a very credible storyline make this one of the more unexpected gems I have watched recently.Well deserved 8/10.

Time will tell, but the Drop certainly has the makings of a crime film classic. Firstly there's the beautifully well-crafted script by the writer Dennis Lehane, this time set in Brooklyn of recent past instead of his beloved Boston. The setting is so believable you can breath it. The characters are all people of the hood just trying variously to cope with the times and circumstances. None of them a rocket scientist really, just everyday people. One of the main characters we never see, because he has gone missing probably dead years ago. Yet people keep talking about him and the viewer realizes that this past mystery may be the key to what's going on. Normally there would be a flashback somewhere to show what happened to the guy, but this film uses no such devices. There is a strong financial incentive to break the laws of the street, as the title the Drop suggests, but the Chechen mafia in power seems to know or find out everything and will deliver punishment to those who are stupid enough to think they can fool the mob. The dialogue is sparse. Slips of tongue can be and are dangerous. The characters communicate with hints and facial expressions. It is the viewer who has to connect the puzzle pieces Lehane keeps slowly handing out throughout the film. After all, none of the characters are exactly law-abiding so it's not obvious all the time which crime is the real mystery. The Belgian director Michaël R. Roskam appears to me as a master of getting subdued yet nuanced performances from his actors. One of which, Matthias Schoenaerts whom Roskam brought with him from Belgium, does a very threatening bad guy indeed. There are some more Europeans. Noomi Rapace from Sweden is great as the fragile and secretive beauty of the film. Tom Hardy has the enigmatic lead role for which he has been appropriately praised. He's so Brooklyn here that I completely forgot he's from England. James Gandolfini is great in his final role of the greediest barkeeper ever. There are many reminders of film noir and the Hitchcock way of surprising the audience time and again. The cinematography is very old school, no car chases or martial arts. Were there any aerial shots? - I don't think so! In this film, the atmosphere is so tight that such things would have been mere distractions. I do think this will be seen as a classic!