Six Bits of Trivia About The Drop Movie

Local favorite Dennis Lehane wrote the screenplay for the new movie The Drop, which opened in theaters Thursday, before he wrote the book version of The Drop, which was released September 2. The screenplay is based on Dennis Lehane’s short story, “Animal Rescue,” from his collection Boston Noir, published in 2009. Too confusing? We kind of agree.

The important thing to know for any moviegoers out there is that The Drop, which stars Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, and James Gandolfini, is a solid thriller worth 106 minutes of your weekend.

Before you watch, here are six things to know and look for. (No spoilers.)

Easter Eggs

The movie The Drop is based in Brooklyn, and boy is there a lot of Giants and Yankees gear at Cousin Marv’s Bar. However, Lehane hinted at a recent reading in Newton that despite the New York setting, he still slipped in some Boston Easter eggs. For example, Nadia (Noomi Rapace) says she works as a waitress at the Ashmont Grill, which in real life is located in Dorchester.

A Nod to Mystic

Another Easter egg—especially for Lehane devotees—is stamped on the vest that Bob (Tom Hardy) wears throughout the film. The patch reads “Mystik.” This can of course be linked to Lehane’s previous work Mystic River. In fact, the novelization of The Drop is still set in Boston, specifically in Lehane’s fictitious neighborhood of East Buckingham in Mystic River.

Pardon the Accents

It’s possible that the movie being set in Brooklyn is a good thing for us—less actors to butcher the Boston accent. If the Brooklyn accents sound forced, it’s probably because three of the lead actors are European. Tom Hardy is from England, Noomi Rapace is from Sweden, and Matthias Schoenaerts (who plays Eric Deeds) is from Belgium. Be gentle, The Drop is director Michaël R. Roskam’s first English-language film.

For the Brooklynites: John Ortiz, who plays Detective Torres, is the most major character in the film who is actually from Brooklyn.

James Gandolfini

The Drop is the late actor’s final film appearance, and he’s damn good in it.

Ann Dowd

The very talented Holyoke, Mass., native plays Cousin Marv’s sister, named Dottie.

About a Dog

Yes! Finally! Let’s talk about that dog! It’s possible we haven’t loved a puppy this much since Marley & Me. Rocco, an abused puppy Bob finds in a trash can at the beginning of the film, is central to Bob’s character development—safe to say actor Tom Hardy was obsessed. Initially mistaken for a boxer in the movie, Rocco is actually a pit bull terrier. “That’s a dangerous dog,” Bob says fearfully, talking more about himself than Rocco. Nadia, Bob’s romantic interest, replies, “He’s nothing but sweet.” Things get complicated when Nadia’s ex shows up claiming to be the dog’s owner.

Because of Rocco’s integral role in The Drop, people naturally connected the dots to when Dennis Lehane lost his own dog Tessa, but in an interview with Boston, Lehane insisted that this is only a coincidence and that the screenplay was really just based on “Animal Rescue.”

It doesn’t matter. The Tessa story is still fun to think about while watching The Drop. As Roskam says, “When you save a dog, you save ourselves.”