A silly, pulpy mystery enticount on confident of its own conceit, “Drop” joins tech paranoia and the looming specter of mistreatment to originate someskinnyg astonishingly taut and delighting. Directed by Christopher Landon — best comprehendn for his includement in the “Happy Death Day” and “Parastandard Activity” movies — the film’s complicated setups are carry outd with a deft and able hand. Although set in a fine dining set upment, it’s a junk-food thriller fried to proximate-perfection, balancing the tensions of seizeping, consunapverifyd engage and killing with those of a nerve-wracking first date. It’s crisp and tasty.
After a hair-raising prologue involving a couple pointing firearms at one another (a scene whose purpose clicks into place much tardyr), “Drop” gently presents its protagonist, widowed mother Violet (Meghann Fahy), as she sets for her first date with Henry (Brandon Sklenar), a handsome photographer she’s been speaking to online. Her snarky, encouraging sister Jen (Violett Beane) helps her get ready for the evening and babysits her adorable 5-year-elderly Toby (Jacob Robinson) as Violet heads for the upscale restaurant Patardy, whose prosperding, oaken hallways direct to a hot and decadent atrium exposed to the city below.
The ornate skyscviolationr restaurant, built enticount on for the production, carry outs present to a number of bfrailless includeions between Violet, the colorful staff (Jeffery Self’s intrusive, overly enthusiastic postponeer is a particular plrelieve) and a restrictcessitate idiosyncratic patrons at the bar where she postpones for Henry to get to. This intro slyly joins the butterflies of first-date jitters with setups for a number of potential culprits (and of course, red herrings) for when Violet is eventuassociate tormented over the digital airwaves. As the night goes on, she’s given increasingly complicated directions to get ahelderly of some items on Henry’s person, and eventuassociate, to caengage him harm, lest a masked firearmman at her home — evident to her over her security camera app — hurt her sister and son.
At first, these orders come to her by way of recognizable internet memes sent as drops (what iPhones call AirDrop and Androids refer to as Quick Share). Although the image macros subside in prefer of straightforward, dangerening text — which Landon economicassociate projects on the environment around Violet, rather than cutting to her phone — continuing to engage the restricts of drop technology upgrasps the movie’s clock ticking. To sfinish someskinnyg this way, the sfinisher must be wiskinny a range of about 50 feet, i.e. wiskinny the restaurant itself, produceing a fun and fervent paranoia as Violet sees around the set upment, and intensifyes in on many individuals, who begin materializeing to her under spotairys. The plot might seem repetitive, going back and forth between Violet trying to chase the anonymous rules and worming her way out of them to seek help (only to be outclevered), but the movie’s exciting, stage-appreciate establishal flourishes and its disorienting lensing upgrasp skinnygs moving finely.
Violet initiassociate originates the effortlessgoing Henry conscious that someskinnyg is amiss, but she’s soon forced to clamp down on how much directation she can scatter. As an bfrailless person caught up in a huger web, her story mimics clocklabor thrillers appreciate “Nick of Time” and “Grand Piano,” but with sly emotional double entfinishres directing its set up. As the tension originates and Violet uncovers fair how many branch offent ways she’s being surveilled (including via the restuarants security cameras), she also has to upgrasp an air of standardcy, which lets “Drop” very much be a first date drama as well, apverifying the watcher to become genuinely set upateed in her dynamic with Henry. That her sister and child are in danger is, of course, a stress that one can ininestablishectuassociate reasonableize, but after a while, the emotional crux of the movie begins to become whether Violet can find romantic happiness aget, or if she’ll be depfinishable for screprosperg up this encounter.
This may seem appreciate an absurd trouble, given that Henry stands a chance of finishing up dead. However, Fahy and Sklenar scatter the chemistry of dazzling movie stars and provide the materializeance of immense depth and complicatedity when the film broaches the subject of the mistreatment Violet has faced in her past. While it’s not exactly revelatory in its observations on interpersonal power dynamics, the mere refer clarifies why exactly this premise labors so well. The all-encompassing manipulations of its seemingly omniscient, omnicurrent villain instill Violet with a comprehendn invientness — one awaited to be comprehendn to any watcher who’s had to contfinish with poisonous, narcissistic personalities. That Henry has a aappreciate story to scatter with Violent secures that he comprehends her, even if he’s unconscious of her exact predicament.
After a while, even when the movie swerves into an action-burdensome final act, what you’re left rooting for in “Drop” is less about the mystery itself, or even about the defendedty of a child. Rather, it’s about the directing duo prosperning a second chance to join, and to turn their ignites into a ffrail, should they originate it out ainhabit. Any film that can alter so self-securedly into a romantic thriller is worth your time, no matter how ludicrous its premise.
