Violet (Meghann Fahy), a widowed single mom, is reluctantly dipping her toe back into the dating pool with a man she’s met on a dating app. But while waiting for him at the restaurant, things take a dark turn when she receives a cryptic “drop” message on her phone, warning her to follow their instructions. If she refuses, her son will die. From that moment on, Violet’s torment begins as the mystery messenger demands that Violet complete increasingly difficult tasks, including killing her date, Henry, played by Brandon Sklenar.
Fahy is easily the movie’s standout. She gives Violet a grounded, emotional presence. Not only is she juggling awkward first-date jitters and lingering trauma from a past relationship, but she also faces the fear of losing her only child, should she make the wrong decision. Skelnar does a fine job of making Henry both likable and suspicious, which keeps the dynamic between them interesting and unpredictable.
One of the film’s biggest strengths is how much it does with so little. Most of the action takes place right at the couple’s table, which adds to the tension, especially as Violet isn’t exactly skilled at hiding her increasing anxiety. Brandon has the patience of a saint, I have to say. The supporting characters have minimal screentime, but there are just enough interactions to make you wonder which one of them is the culprit behind the messages. The only person I didn’t suspect was the overly cheery waiter, who was more interested in telling the couple details about his improv class than the nightly specials.
As entertaining as it is, Drop could have been much better. It’s just clever enough to keep you guessing, but there are still moments where the character choices feel contrived and driven by the need to move the plot along. A little more time spent developing the antagonist’s motivations could’ve made the ending hit harder, rather than coming off like a last-minute twist. And while the ending is pretty satisfying, it still leaves a few loose ends unresolved.
The premise reminded me a lot of Wes Craven’s Red Eye, where the majority of the movie takes place in one location – in Red Eye’s case, a plane – while an innocent woman is being used for nefarious purposes. Unfortunately, Drop is missing a truly sinister antagonist that made Red Eye so thrilling.
Drop is still a solid flick, driven by brisk pacing, two strong performances, and a premise that feels especially relevant in our overly-connected world. It may not reinvent the genre, but it’s entertaining enough, and that counts for something.
