‘Drop’: A Predictably Entertaining First-Date Thriller

Thoroughly entertaining and predictable in equal measure, Drop is a thriller firmly planted in the anxieties of the modern day. An uncomfortable reminder of how exposed we are when using our evil little rectangles, it’s a film that taps into the anxieties of the modern day with some efficiency, while having a bit of fun on the way.

The film follows Violet (Meghann Fahy), a widowed mother therapist going on her first first date since the suicide of her highly abusive husband. At a restaurant high in the sky, she meets the overwhelmingly sweet photographer Henry (Brandon Sklenar). The date’s going well, until she gets a legally-distinct series of AirDropped memes and messages from an unknown person: she’s to kill Henry, or the assailant will kill her son.

What follows is a delightfully delirious balancing act where Violet attempts to keep Henry on the date while simultaneously following the orders of the mysterious person on her phone. As she and Henry figure out before she’s ordered to kill him, the person making the drops must be in the restaurant… So who is it, and why do they want to kill her?

Drop is appropriately entertaining

What follows in Drop is an entertaining version of what you’d expect from a film like this: a well-made first two acts with a Hitchcockian sensibility that falls apart a little bit once the reveal in the final third hits. Nonetheless, Christopher Landon brings a sense of real fun to the film and is able to tap into many fears about existence in the digital age.

Drop is anchored by a great performance from The White Lotus alum Meghann Fahy, who is excellent at portraying a character fraying under intense pressure. Violet has quite a heavy backstory that doesn’t quite cohere with the comparatively lighter tone of the rest of the film, but the way that Fahy allows that part of the character to dictate her performance is genuinely admirable.

Meanwhile, Brandon Sklenar is appropriately doe-eyed as Violet’s date Henry – enough to make her think twice about killing him, at least. He’s more charming than you’d expect, and Henry has the patience of a saint given how odd this first date must be from his end.

The movie does bump up against itself quite often, repeating plot points and stretching the potential of its premise pretty thin by the time that the credits roll. Alas, if you’re susceptible to the thriller genre, it’s hard to imagine you won’t find some enjoyment in Drop.

★★★

Drop is in cinemas now.