Violet (Meghann Fahy) is a domestic violence counselor with a tragic past that still afflicts her to this day. Nonetheless, her story kicks off in Christopher Landon’s new Hitchcockian thriller, Drop, with a new dating prospect in the form of Henry (Brandon Sklenar) with a luxury dinner for two in a Chicago high rise restaurant.
Little does she know that dating anxieties will be the least of their worries when the drop app on her phone begins receiving swells of messages from an anonymous user, slowly turning her latest romantic trial into a night of absolute terror. With the lives of her son and her sister on the line, Violet is forced to put on a convincing enough show so as to not alert Henry or the other guests, while adhering to a series of horrific demands that will test her resolve to her utmost limits.
Drop is a fascinating profile of twisty suspense from Landon and screenwriter duo Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach. The film begins with a prelude to one of the worst moments of Violet’s life, before pivoting to the present-day goings on of her current work. Congruent to the prevalence of daily use of our phones, viewers get an apt set-up to the rest of the film along with intros to a pool of characters permeating around Violet, further escalating the film’s mystery and intensity.
Sklenar’s performance as seemingly charismatic and understanding Henry also lends the film its brilliance. As far as whodunit stories like these go, Drop is almost certain to keep you guessing as to whether or not it’s Henry behind the proverbial veil, or other dining attendees and employees.
Combined with fitting cinematography and a visual style that certainly lends to the film’s tropes, you get a thriller that’s well-paced and doesn’t dance the obvious in your face before finally pulling back the curtain. The result is an exhilirating race against time as Violet fights to save her family and her fate no matter what it takes, and it definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat.
I’m not necessarily the target audience for these films, but I’ve seen my fair share of suspenseful and high-octane psychological thrillers to compare. It’s no easy feat to craft a contained thriller narrative that keeps a firm and steady pace, and thankfully, Landon makes fine work of it in this film.
Drop is currently avaliable on 4K UHD, Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital this week from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The version I reviewed was the Blu-Ray which comes with an audio commentary by the director, as well as four movie audio options all in Dolby sound, including English, French and Spanish audio, and DVS (Descriptive Video Service) in English for the visually impaired.
The Blu-ray also includes three snackable featurettes featuring the cast and crew, including stunt coordinator Brendan Condren whose credits additionally include in part films like Arcadian, Abigail, and streaming series “Lioness.” It’s a nicely-packaged disc full of gems that I think encompass a fun thriller that won’t stand you up.
