Film Review - Drop
Images courtesy of Universal Pictures.
Christopher Landon dials down the camp and cranks up the tension in Drop, a lean, well-oiled thriller that proves he’s just as capable of suspense as he is of slasher-comedy hijinks. Best known for genre mashups like Freaky and Happy Death Day, as well as writing for this year's Heart Eyes, Landon plays it straighter this time - and the result is one of his sleekest, most confident films yet. The setup is simple but effective: Violet (Meghann Fahy), a widowed single mum, finally musters the courage to go on a date. But just as the wine is poured and the flirting begins, a cryptic message pings on her phone. Someone’s watching her son. And unless she does exactly what the anonymous messenger says, he’s not making it to the end of her date.
It’s a familiar kind of premise, sure, but Drop works because it knows how to execute. The entire film takes place inside a swanky Chicago restaurant, and Landon milks the location for all it’s worth. Neat camera tricks - clever pans, reflections, tracking shots, and overall tight, almost giallo-inspired cinematography keeps the tension simmering. You feel boxed in with Violet, stuck in a glossy, candlelit prison while the endless panes of glass quietly close in from all around. Fahy is fantastic here. She brings so much vulnerability and steel to Violet, making her panic feel lived-in but never performative. And her chemistry with Brandon Sklenar, who plays her date Henry, adds some nice ambiguity - can she trust him? Can we?
What’s most refreshing about Drop is that it actually lets the thriller be a thriller. No cheeky winks. No fourth-wall-breaking jokes to deflate the suspense. It trusts its audience to take the ride seriously, and that pays off in a refreshing way. Landon still has a light touch, but here it’s used to tighten screws and let the audience laugh at their own pace. While it borrows a few familiar moves from 2003’s Phone Booth, it functions more as a contemporary update than a conniving rip-off (not that many people outside of my year 12 media class likely even remember the Colin Farrell vehicle). The 90s and noughties were a gold mine for simple hook bottle thrillers, and it's a joy to see a film try to keep the tradition alive even in our age of constant surveillance and smartphones, using those tools to advance the plot rather than find a cheap way to write them out completely.
At a brisk 95 minutes, Drop is the kind of taut, grown-up genre film that feels increasingly rare. No frills, no filler - just a sharp concept, believable performances, and a director who knows when to show off and when to pull back. Waiter, more please.
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Drop is screening in cinemas from Thursday the 17th of April. For tickets and more info, click here.