3.5 out of 5.0 stars
In “Drop,” the exhilarating new thriller from director Christopher Landon, a woman’s romantic misgivings on a first date fall by the wayside as a sinister plot unfurls. In an age of online dating apps and dubious profiles, trusting someone enough to meet in person is a leap of faith. In spite of some cinematic flaws, the film is a wildly engaging watch with a unique focus on modern technology.
The film follows Violet (Meghann Fahy), a widowed mother to a 5-year-old (Jacob Robinson), as she braves her first date since her husband’s death. Though she enjoys the company of Henry (Brandon Sklenar) — a kind photographer frequently commissioned by the mayor — she is pestered with digital “drop” messages on her phone that become increasingly hostile and eventually threaten the lives of her family. Violet soon realizes that someone in the elegant restaurant is behind this scheme, and must ultimately choose between the lives of her son and sister (Violett Beane) or Henry.
Screenwriters Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach imbue the script with shocking twists and turns that make it hard for viewers to look away. The ingenious ways in which Violet tries to outwit her manipulator are cleverly constructed and devastatingly foiled. They also ground the main plot’s towering stakes with Violet’s emotional arc; the film gradually reveals that her late husband was abusive, and she is trying to overcome the traumatic memories she associates with relationships. The thematic presence of this storyline is not completely pertinent to Violet’s actions, but it provides depth to her character and her relationship to her family.
The script also contains clever foreshadowing and realistic dialogue, but it comes to a clunky climax when Richard (Reed Diamond), a friendly schlub who Violet met at a bar, is unmasked as the culprit behind the messages. Henry is revealed to be an FBI informant implicating the mayor in an embezzlement scheme, but Richard’s role is not clarified, beyond a presumed financial connection to the mayor.
This conclusion deepens the film’s curious resemblance to “Red Eye,” a 2005 thriller from director Wes Craven. Both films feature a meet-cute gone awry when a woman with a troubled past is forced to become an accessory to an assassination plot. Although the films’ genre lends itself to reliable tropes, the films’ similarities are worth examining.
Still, “Drop” feels fresh due to its subject matter and directorial choices. Movies rarely feature cell phones this heavily because they often simplify complicated story obstacles, especially in horror or thriller films. However, the looming presence of phones in this film is balanced by having Violet’s actions be surveilled, preventing her from calling for help. Additionally, the creative camerawork employed by Landon provides memorably vibrant visuals. The lead characters sit at a table with a striking view of the Chicago skyline, and the action-packed finale is utterly thrilling. Some of the effects are less successful, such as the digital messages appearing as text on screen, but are admirable in a film that could have been visually dull.
Landon is joined behind the camera by two frequent collaborators: composer Bear McCreary and editor Ben Baudhuin. McCreary’s driving score amplifies the extreme tension, especially in the later moments of the film, but Baudhuin’s editing is less cohesive. While the grander, more frequent moments are skillfully sleek, the banter between Violet and Henry is frantically edited. Quick cuts to every single reaction one character has to the other’s dialogue makes it difficult to keep up with the pace, and obstructs some of the acting.
A standout from the second season of HBO’s “The White Lotus,” Fahy carries the story with a dynamic performance. She plays Violet’s desperation with realistic disbelief and is effectively reserved in the character’s intimate reflections on her past. Sklenar is sufficient as Henry, though his deadpan comedic manner is not totally conducive to creating chemistry with Fahy’s understated performance.
Robinson is impossibly sweet as Violet’s son, Toby, and Beane is charming as Violet’s sarcastic sister — their effective performances make the characters’ perilous situation all the more distressing. Diamond is scary as the demanding Richard, and Ed Weeks and Gabrielle Ryan are believable as veteran employees of the restaurant. Jeffery Self is very memorable as a fledgling waiter hoping to make it in the Chicago improv scene, and his humorous dialogue helps to lighten the mood.
“Drop” is not the sturdiest or most original film in the thriller canon, but it is an extraordinarily fun one. With help from a talented cast and a seasoned director, it announces itself as an updated take on a familiar formula.
