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By Lauren Bradshaw
Lauren’s Review

Drop is one of those movies where you get exactly what you pay for. It is an entertaining, moderately suspenseful whodunit that will leave you guessing and may even surprise you. I thought I had it all figured out… until I didn’t. Does it veer into the ridiculous by the end? Yes. But the film does a great job of building enough rapport between the audience and Meghann Fahy’s character Violet, by the time things really go off the rails, you will still have fun with it. And, more than anything, its breezy 100 minute runtime ensures the movie never overstays its welcome.

First dates are terrifying enough, but Violet’s first date with Henry (Brandon Sklenar) is coming with major baggage. This is Violet’s first date since getting out of an abusive relationship five years prior. Now widowed, she still has trauma from this relationship and uses the fact she is raising her son to keep men at an arm’s length. But after three months of talking on a dating app, Henry convinces Violet to meet him at a fancy restaurant at the top of a skyscraper. But when Violet begins getting AirDrop-esque messages, threatening to kill her son if she doesn’t comply with increasingly deadly instructions, its clear the perpetrator is tracking her every move. Now, she has to use her survivor mentality to ensure she and her son get out of this situation alive, even if it means others (including Henry) are at risk.

The whole reason Drop works is because of Meghann Fahy. She has had attention-grabbing supporting roles in The Perfect Couple and season 2 of The White Lotus. However, now she has graduated into scream queen status, showing she has enough charisma and talent to lead any film. Fahy gets you to root for her character from the moment the film opens and keeps you guessing on her character’s moral right and left limits throughout. Seeing this film with a crowd is fun because you will get to join fellow audience members to cheer when Fahy fights back (in more ways than one). In comparison, Brandon Sklenar has a little less to work with, playing the more subdued, mysterious role; you never know exactly where his character stands, which makes it a little hard to fully trust him/care about his safety… and that’s the point.

Drop is reminiscent of movies like Red Eye — simple, taut thrillers that are more interested in keeping an audience entertained than being a cerebral mind-bender. Admittedly, there are several occasions when you will need to suspend disbelief and choose to embrace the more insane elements of the movie, but that’s part of the fun. It may also make you think twice about your digital footprint and the way you are constantly surveilled in every aspect of your life, whether you are aware of it or not.

My review: B-

LAUREN BRADSHAW grew up in Courtland, graduated from Southampton Academy and double-majored in foreign affairs and history at the University of Virginia. She lives in the Washington, D.C., area and can be reached at flickchickdc@gmail.com.