THE STORY – Violet is a widowed mother who goes to an upscale restaurant to meet Henry, her charming and handsome date. However, her pleasant evening soon turns into a living nightmare when she receives phone messages from a mysterious, hooded figure who threatens to kill her young son and sister unless she kills Henry.
THE CAST – Meghann Fahy, Brandon Sklenar, Violett Beane, Jacob Robinson, Reed Diamond, Gabrielle Ryan, Jeffery Self, Ed Weeks & Travis Nelson
THE TEAM – Christopher Landon (Director), Jillian Jacobs & Chris Roach (Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 95 Minutes
When we are first introduced to Violet (Meghann Fahy), she is subjected to horrendous torture and abuse at the hands of her husband. Laying on the ground, fearing for her life and the life of her young son, Violet is unfortunately used to getting physically abused for no reason. We quickly learn that her husband has passed away, leaving her a widowed single mother. Years later, in Chicago, Violet counsels other abuse victims while taking care of her son, Toby (Jacob Robinson). After talking to a man named Henry (Brandon Sklenar) on a dating app for three months, Violet is ready to get back into the dating game and meet Henry for a first date. Her sister Jen (Violett Beane) agrees to babysit Toby while Violet and Henry meet atop the grand Chicago high-rise restaurant, Palate, overlooking the entire city. Before Henry arrives at the swanky restaurant, Violet enjoys a glass of wine at the bar while talking to other patrons, the bartender, the host, the comedic relief server (who clearly improvised many of his lines to hilarious effect), and the piano player, observing the opulent and classy restaurant’s decor. She keeps receiving memes and other digital air drops to her phone from an unknown sender…seemingly innocent at first, but inching towards confusion as the minutes pass while waiting for Henry to arrive. When he emerges, handsome and put together, the two would-be lovebirds are seated at their table, with anonymous messages continuing to plague Violet’s night, leading to a nightmarish scenario scarier than any other first date one could imagine. Director Christopher Landon (“Happy Death Day” and “Freaky“) has already set a scene where Violet is uncomfortable and unsure of her surroundings upon meeting Henry. She enlists Henry’s help in determining who the prankster could be until the messages sent to her phone become threatening and ultimately targets Violet’s date and her son. If she doesn’t do what the aggressor is demanding, her son and sister will die.
“Drop” is a sensationally drawn-out cat-and-mouse game highlighting Meghann Fahy’s dramatic and magnetic range. It is a near-single-location film that takes bold visual risks, utilizing intricate production design with precise editing, which complements an otherwise ridiculous premise. As Violet’s world is crashing down around her, she must save face to survive her circumstances and save her loved ones in this terrifying hostage situation. But how far is too far in a chess match that increases in severity as the night goes on? Violet is uniquely qualified to fake her emotions and pretend everything is fine in order to survive due to her past experience with abuse. The unknown person on the other end of her phone’s texts understands this, yet Violet seems to find the upper hand while the restaurant’s many cameras watch her every move.
The restaurant and the folks inhabiting it for the evening become a cast of characters worth watching as Violet attempts to determine who is threatening her. Paranoia sets in as she tries to make nice with her extremely patient date. But could Henry be part of this scheme, or is he also a victim? These are questions worth exploring, keeping the intrigue of the film alive until the third act gives way to an edge-of-your-seat climax we’ve seen time and time before in this genre, most recently even with Netflix’s “Carry-On.”
“Drop” is all about the setup as Landon introduces all of the film’s major players in ways that keep the audience guessing how Violet will get out of this situation until the very last moments. Wildly entertaining with heart-pounding action from the jump, the film unleashes its menacing premise that makes one think twice about being held hostage by something so innocuous as a cell phone. Much like Sidney Prescott has to deal with a person pulling the strings on the other end of a phone line in the “Scream” franchise, so too does Violet.
It’s good that women in these mystery thrillers are adept at fighting back against their puppet masters. As mentioned earlier, we’ve seen this exact type of film done before (Wes Craven’s “Red Eye” also comes to mind), but when done well, there’s no denying how entertaining they can be. With a strong leading performance from Fahy, some irresistible charm from Sklenar, and a high degree of control over the film’s tone and style by Landon, “Drop” makes for a better date night than the one portrayed in the film.
