"Drop" Film Review

Drop

Rating: 4.5/5

By: Nathaniel Simpson

    Thrillers nowadays have a hard time of finding one identity, trying to juggle multiple aspects and not knowing which direction to head in. That's why Christopher Landon's Drop is such a refreshing change of pace, with him delivering a thriller that is reminiscent of the old Hitchcock films. It may not be the best thriller ever made, but it's a damn good film that keeps the viewer entertained, on the edge of their seats, and constantly guessing from beginning to end. 

    The film opens up on a very tense note, with Violet (Meghann Fahy) in a tense stand-off with her abusive husband involving a gun. This already sets the tone for the film, making the viewer jolt awake with attention and builds the suspense the movie needs to succeed. It then cuts to a few years later, with Violet now raising her son Toby (Jacob Robinson) by herself after the death of her husband. She is now trying to get back into the dating scene, and is even meeting up with a guy she has been talking to, Henry (Brandon Sklenar), for dinner at one of Chicago's nicest rooftop restaurants, "Palate". 

    What starts out as a nice, sorta-awkward first date turns into the first date from hell when Violet starts receiving 'Digi-Drops' from someone who has to be 50 feet away, making it clear to her that this person is tormenting her from inside the restaurant. They start out as annoying drops, which then turn sinister as they are now forcing Violet to either kill her date or watch her son die. Violet must go through with whatever this anonymous person is saying to save her child, while also not wanting the man sitting across from her to die as well. 

    Hitchcock was always able to tell his suspenseful stories in such a masterful way, sometimes relying on only a handful of characters and a couple of very simple locations. Perhaps his reasoning behind these choices is what makes these films so effective; it's clear he didn't dwell too long on choices that wouldn't matter considering the scope of the entire film. Take Rear Window, for instance, which revolves around only a couple of characters and in a couple of settings, primarily at the apartment that James Stewart is confined to. In a way, this is Landon's Rear Window, and he brilliantly tells this story in the modern age that keeps the story engaging and suspenseful. 

    Most of this story takes place at the restaurant, where most of the suspense and action takes place. Landon is able to interweave this story about a first date with a plot to murder an important informant in a trial taking place. Landon not only tackles this story in a way that is accessible to all types of audience, but sneaks in little political elements, similar to the films of Hitchcock. His use of practically one setting and a handful of characters not only allows him to play in this field of making it where no one can be trusted, but allows the film to explore these characters and relationships they form over the course of the hour-and-a-half runtime. 

    Fahy, who was usually seen on the small screen in multiple television shows, has her chance to prove herself in a feature film, and she does so wonderfully. Some actors who work primarily in television first struggle to find the balance and their place in feature films, but Fahy does it effortlessly. She is fun and relatable, but also proves to be a badass heroine when she is unexpectedly thrown in a situation like this. At the same time, Sklenar is great at being charismatic and a crowd-favorite, wooing over the audience to make them question if they are truly able to trust this man, and wonder the whole movie if he is truly what he seems. I don't want to spoil what happens here in the film, but the performances also given by Violett Beane, Gabrielle Ryan, Ed Weeks, Reed Diamond, and Jeffrey Self are all very fun and unique, and they compliment the two main characters wonderfully here. One of the actors here, who is revealed to be the person behind the drops, is so fantastic in the role and really gave it their all when the reveal comes near the end of the movie. 

    Drop is simply one of those movies that isn't too complicated, but is able to tell a story that unfolds so beautifully over the course of its runtime. Sure, it might be sort of convoluted at times, but Landon definitely shows off his filmmaking chops and knows how to tell a smart and fun thriller like this. I really enjoyed this film and everything it did from beginning to end, and while this may be perhaps the worst first date in history, it's the perfect date night movie for even those on their first dates.