Some movies practically demand not to be thought about. Such movies stretch their basic premise to the breaking point but still manage to hold attention and create suspense. Brimming with red herrings and creating one of cinema's most bizarre first dates, Drop qualifies as such a movie, an entertaining genre effort.
The premise is simple: A widowed mother and victim of domestic abuse (Meghann Fahy) decides to dip her toe into social waters after making an online connection through a dating service. Fahy's Violet, a professional counselor for abused women, agrees to meet Brandon Sklenar's Henry, a photographer.
The two arrange a date at an upscale Chicago restaurant located on the top floor of a skyscraper. Violet's sister (Violett Beane) agrees to babysit Violet's five-year-old son (Jacob Robinson). She also coaches Violet through first-date jitters.
Once settled into the restaurant, Violet begins to receive what the movie dubs DigiDrops, ominous messages from a sender who knows her every move. From that point on, director Christopher Landon heightens the suspense because we learn that the sender of these hostile texts is in the same restaurant.
The major threat: If Violet doesn't do the texter's bidding, he'll have her young son killed. He's rigged cameras in Violet's home to show her that an intruder is ready to carry out his menacing orders.
Violet's distracted response to her nice-guy date fuels Fahy's performance and leaves us wondering how much Henry will tolerate before deciding he's had enough.
Landon effectively puts us in Violet's position as she surveys the room, hoping to identify her tormentor. Maybe the couple's aggressively cheerful waiter (Jeffrey Self) is responsible for the many alarming digital drops. Everyone becomes a suspect.
The texter's messages appear on the screen as Violet attempts to carry on two conversations, one with Henry and the other with her antagonist.
No fair telling more or revealing what Violet has been ordered to do, but know that the movie remains involving -- at least it did for me -- until its ending goes too far over the top.
Landon seems to bet that by the time the movie concludes, we'll be game for violent mayhem, having already forgiven the movie's implausibilities and contrivances. I'd have preferred a finale as clever as what preceded it, but sometimes you take what you can get: For much of its one hour and 40 minutes, Drop offers plenty of edgy kick.
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