I enjoy a high-concept thriller that so cheerfully understands how ridiculous it is. Drop is the sort of film that is fully happy to pull the audience’s leg to ensure they know they’re supposed to be having fun. Sure, there are some genuine moments of suspense to keep the visceral nature of the story active, but a good amount of laughs come through as well, thanks to the heightened circumstances presented. The movie is not self-aware, but it does seem to understand what reactions it expects from an audience primed to have a good time with a wacky thriller like this, and it feels all the better for it.
Meghann Fahy stars as Violet, a widower and single mother who has decided to meet up for a first date with the good-natured Henry (Brandon Sklenar) in a high-rise restaurant in the city. During the date, however, Violet begins receiving a series of anonymous messages on her phone, with instructions eventually dictating that she must kill Henry, or else her son will be killed instead. Quickly realizing she’s being monitored from nearly every angle, Violet must deal with a room full of suspects and a date who’s unsure of the next move to make.
See Also: ‘Novocaine’ Review: Comfortably Numb, Long But Fun
Writers Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach have done fine work constructing a plotline that keeps viewers invested in the moments presented. Enough is being done to not necessarily make any of this feel plausible but to give it the semblance of movie logic that adds up. I believed in Violet’s struggle based on how it was presented to me, and I could also get behind various payoffs that occurred thanks to specific setups earlier in the film, subtle and otherwise. I also just enjoyed being with these characters. Fahy and Sklenar may not have chemistry for the ages, but I was given enough to buy into the idea that these people (particularly Henry) would stick around to see where the night takes them.
Directed by Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day, Freaky), I’m of two minds about his approach. On the one hand, this is a very active film. Text messages appear in big, bold letters on the screen. Lots of stylized choices in terms of lighting, camera moves, angles, and more to provide us with what Violet’s mind is going through when considering her predicament. Landon also clearly said “bigger” when it came to many of the supporting characters, making sure to keep them feeling memorable, like any number of thrillers requiring an assortment of red herrings that border on being annoying.
However, as much as the movie wants to present itself as being very directed, it does have to contend with how to ever feel like it’s anything other than a movie. By that, I mean there’s no real point in Drop where it didn’t feel like these were characters in a set built for a film. That’s not just speaking to the fake backdrop we see throughout, but just the nature of this restaurant, how things are angled, and how the film is edited. It’s not sitcom-level filmmaking like so many disposable comedies. Still, compared to other high-concept thrillers that could rely on mid-level budgets to convince the audience of the reality of the world around the characters, this film does feel like the result of Blumhouse Productions’ methods for spending.
With that in mind, certain visual limitations didn’t keep me from appreciating what Fahy had to offer. Coming to my radar after standing out as one of the MVPs in season 2 of HBO’s White Lotus, she gets a real chance to shine by playing someone keeping calm under pressure. There are also the early scenes establishing who her character is, others that lean into how Violet relays her backstory, and plenty of actions that rely on a subtle sense of comedic timing to properly deal with the film’s intended tone. As a clear showcase for Fahy, she does what is needed and then some.
How this film eventually resolves itself, I will not get into, but obviously things must ramp up over time, and I had fun with the lengths it put these characters through. Bear McCreary’s very imposing score certainly made sure everyone knew when something crazy was happening or about to happen. However, it still speaks to just how purposefully wild Drop wants to be, especially when violence becomes a probable outcome for certain sequences.
Close comparison points are films like Wes Craven’s Red Eye or the Liam Neeson plane thriller Non-Stop. Regardless of how those films compare, there’s a pureness to the premise of these movies that I can appreciate. Even when these films attempt to overcomplicate themselves for the sake of explaining the “whys” of it all, Drop knows how to boil down the stakes to something specific enough to keep me caring, thrilled by what’s going on, and entertained by what sort of obstacles are being thrown at our heroine. Even when the movie was at its most outrageous, I was never about to drop out of my seat, as I was happy being on the edge instead.
Drop opens in theaters on April 11, 2025.
