For those not in the know, a ‘drop’ is a feature on Apple iPhones that allows you to wirelessly share files, photos and videos with other nearby Apple devices.
This feature is key to the plot of the latest Blumhouse-produced thriller from veteran genre director Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day).
It’s a bad time to have a smartphone for Violet (Meghann Fahy), a single mother on her first date since the death of her abusive ex and father to child Toby (Jacob Robinson). In a swanky rooftop restaurant in Chicago, Violet meets the handsome and seemingly ideal man, Henry (Brandon Sklenar).
We’re introduced to a range of interesting supporting characters: comical waiter Matt (Jeffery Self), nervous older man Richard on another date (Reed Diamond), sleazy pianist Phil (Ed Weeks), helpful barmaid Cara (Gabrielle Ryan Spring), and Violet’s younger sister (Violett Beane) at home babysitting Toby.
No sooner has the date started than Violet starts receiving increasingly menacing drop requests from a stranger. What at first seems like a harmless prank turns into a terrifying ordeal as Violet learns someone is going to kill her sister and son if she doesn’t fulfil tasks set by the mysterious Dropper, who always seems one move ahead.
At first, Drop feels like an intimate play or an ode to Hitchcock, with a few red herrings thrown in for good measure. Everyone’s a suspect. Faces in the crowd are enigmatically focused upon before changing. The acting is solid, as is the direction. The tension is well-earned and, although at times you have to try not to think too hard, you can’t wait to see what happens next.
However, Drop lets itself down in the final 10 minutes as it descends into silliness and the suspension of belief wanes. It’s a shame as it’s gripping at times and stretches what could have been a quickly tiresome plot device into an entire film.
DROP is in cinemas now.
