Right from the start, I found the premise of Drop interesting. It sounded like a great way to create a different type of thriller. I also thought Meghann Fahy was a great choice to play the main protagonist. The choice of her as Violet was a perfect choice, she along with the rest of the cast had inspired acting but the story was predictable right from the start. 

Drop is a thriller directed by Christopher Landon and written by Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach. In the film, a widowed mother, Violet (Meghann Fahy) is heading out to the first date she’s had in years. She’s a single mother with a five year old son, Toby (Jacob Robinson). Her sister Jen (Violett Beane) is watching him for the night and she counsels abused women. She meets her date, Henry, at an upscale restaurant and they hit it off but as soon as the date begins, she begins being bombarded with messages through an app, drops as they are called. Except these drops are no prank as Violet soon learns that her son and sister are in danger if she doesn’t follow the instructions of the person messaging her. And it could be anyone in the restaurant, her bartender (Gabrielle Ryan), the piano player (Ed Weeks), her waiter (Jeffery Self), a guest she bumped into on her way in (Travis Nelson) or the man she talked to at the bar (Reed Diamond). If she doesn’t do as she is told, her sister and son could die and if she does, her date will die. The question becomes, what will Violet do to protect her son?

Like I said, I like the premise. I find the idea of Violet’s phone being hacked quite believable and the reason for the threats become clear quite early on. I doubt there are many of us who would not want to protect our loved ones. I also like that Violet keeps trying to find a way to fight, to figure out who is threatening her or get help. I also appreciate that Henry is written as a kind person who genuinely likes her, who wants to help her when she seems distressed and never gets mad at her for what seems like strange behavior. I genuinely like the ways Violet tries to stop the threats and protect her family. I also like the tension and pacing of the film, it is fraught with her fear and desperation.

One of the parts of the story is that Violet has been in an abusive relationship. The raw emotion that they show in her flashbacks and as she details her past is emotional and powerful. It adds depth to what is happening in the present as she struggles not to give into fear and to outwit the person threatening her and her family. It also adds impact to the ending of the film. I also like the action sequences at the end, they help add motion to the movie and that thriller aspect. 

The reason the story works as well as it does is the acting. Meghann Fahy is incredible in this role. She is compelling and she is authentic as a woman who is afraid for her life but can’t show it for fear something happens to her son. She is the perfect level of tense and upset. I also like that her reactions demonstrate a certain level of trauma from her own past. That is a difficult emotion to show but she does it perfectly. Brandon Sklenar as Henry is warm and empathetic, with the chemistry between the pair off the charts. They seem very much on a good first date even while things unravel. The rest of the cast, Violett Beane as Jen, Reed Diamond, Gabrielle Ryan, Ed Weeks, Jeffery Self and Travis Nelson add just the right amount of intrigue to their roles and help build the tension in the story.

Part of what makes this film not work for me as well are all of the small details. In the movie, Violet’s phone is hacked. Yet, when she goes to the bathroom and seeks help, she finds a camera there as she is threatened not to seek out help. If her phone was hacked, the person messaging her should have access to her camera and microphone. The extra camera in the bathroom seems extraneous. I also found that the wounds toward the end of the film are less than believable. The wounds as they occurred would have resulted in a lot more damage and possible death than what is shown. The hand waving movie magic over those wounds throws me out of the film. 

The biggest problem for me, though, is that the film does not switch up elements enough. From the beginning, I knew who the person was threatening her. I will tell you that there are a couple red herrings and a change in the cast should have happened to create more surprise. I won’t tell you which cast member it is but it made the actions in the movie and the ending super predictable for me. And it was only the inspired acting that saved the film from the predictable story. 

If you like thrillers or you like Meghann Fahy, I do recommend the film. She is excellent, her performance had just the right edge of tension and fear throughout the film, and I love how she reacts at the end of the film. The premise is interesting and some parts of it are believable, especially Violet’s reactions. I love the chemistry between Meghann Fahy and Brendan Sklenar who plays Henry. As Henry, he brings in an amazing performance as well. The entire cast is wonderful. Ultimately, I enjoyed the film, I just would have liked more surprises. 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 hockey pucks. 

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