Running Time: 100 minutes
This feature from Universal Pictures opens exclusively at theaters on April 11th.
I’ve seen my share of thrillers, plenty of them pulpy and over-the-top. While many strain credibility at certain points, a witty screenplay or charismatic turn can allow viewers to give a film a pass for its minor transgressions. “Drop” is a new suspense picture that uses cell phone messaging to generate mystery and suspense. Unfortunately, its problem is that the story is so preposterous that it all becomes difficult to take seriously. Yes, you may end up chuckling here and there at what you see, but there is no genuine excitement to be experienced.
Violet (Meghann Fahy) is a widow, domestic abuse survivor and single mom who works as a therapist for other victims. After years focusing on her son Toby (Jacob Robinson), she finally agrees to leave her house and go on a date with a photographer Henry (Brandon Sklenar), whom she has never met in person. Toby is placed in the care of sister Jen (Violett Beane) as Violet travels to a nearby restaurant at the top of a downtown Chicago skyscraper. Anxiety arises when she begins receiving unsettling messages on her phone. Thinking it must be a prank, Henry tries to help her identify the sender, narrowing it down to someone in the restaurant. But things become much more serious when the texter sends Violet footage of an intruder in her home and tells her that if she does not follow instructions and murder Henry, her son (and presumably, sister) will be slain instead.
There is some potential in the concept and the enclosed setting of a restaurant. The movie attempts to interject a bit of humor early on as the main characters awkwardly meet and then deal with an exaggerated waiter who is overly excited about serving them on his very first shift. The leads are likable enough and the backstory of Violet enduring a horrific relationship and trying to move forward certainly does help get viewers into her corner.
Alas, the movie expects one to accept an increasingly preposterous set of circumstances. In fact, everything about the restaurant and its customers feels somewhat simulated even before the danger begins. When the evil figure begins constantly texting the lead, giving elaborate instructions and Violet’s panicked gaze darts around the room, she is forced to make clumsy excuses and follow orders without giving herself away to Henry. At the same time, she’s also trying to find someone to help her out. This plays out in scene after scene and as characters get into altercations, and even collapse, and it is so artificial and broadly delivered that it is difficult to believe.
The screenplay also tries to insert plenty of red herrings into the story. Violet’s tormentor makes a strange accusation about her past, which gets a strong reaction. So much so, that it’s bizarre the movie doesn’t really go anywhere with the idea. As Violet eventually grows bolder, she ends up more or less walking over to several suspects and accusing them of being the culprit. By the time she finally needles the correct person and learns exactly what is occurring and why, there are many more logistical questions that will immediately leap to mind.
When the climax arrives, the characters give overly heartfelt admissions to each other, which come across as ill-timed given what’s occurring. The action and associated ridiculousness jump to new heights at this point as Violet’s family is put in imminent danger. One thing that is certain is that, given what follows during the finale, therapy for at least one character will be a permanent requirement. If that weren’t enough, there’s even a tonally bizarre conversation with jokes towards the close that is surreal given the horrors that have just been experienced.
Some may contend that the film’s strange gags are intended to poke fun at genre tropes, but I’m not convinced that this is the case, particularly during the dramatic declarations. While allowing an abuse survivor to stand tall and fight off a nasty tormentor is a fine idea and the leads do their best to keep one engaged in their fear (and/or general confusion), the story is littered with plot holes and nothing feels grounded in any kind of reality. The drama in Drop nosedives into absurdity and the end result fails to exhilarate.