Drop (2025) Universal/Suspense-Thriller RT: 95 minutes Rated PG-13 (strong violent content, suicide, some strong language, sexual references) Director: Christopher Landon Screenplay: Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach Music: Bear McCreary Cinematography: Marc Spicer Release date: April 11, 2025 (US) Cast: Meghann Fahy, Brandon Sklenar, Violett Beane, Jacob Robinson, Reed Diamond, Gabrielle Ryan, Sarah McCormack, Ed Weeks, Jeffery Self, Ben Pelletier, Travis Nelson, Saoirse Hayden, Fiona Browne, Stephanie Karam, Michael Shea.
Rating: ***
A technophobe is defined as “someone who fears the effects of technological development on society”. Their concerns might very well be justified when you consider what goes down in the new thriller Drop. As anybody under the age of 35 knows, the title refers to AirDrop, a feature on an Apple iPhone that allows the user to send files to nearby devices (within 50 feet according to the film). In the film, somebody has weaponized it so to speak. They’re using it to make a first date even more awkward and not in a comical way.
It’s been a while since Violet (Fahy, The Unbreakable Boy) has been out on a date. She’s still haunted by the memories of her abusive (deceased) husband. Her focus has been on her young special needs son Toby (Robinson), but now it’s time to get back in the saddle. She agrees to meet Henry (Sklenar, It Ends with Us) at an upscale high-rise restaurant for dinner. They met on some dating app and have been communicating for the past three months. She’s nervous about the date, but she has the strong support of her sister Jen (Beane, Death and Other Details) who’s back at the house watching her kid.
Henry’s a few minutes late due to traffic, but that’s not the reason Violet is on edge. Not long after she arrives at the restaurant, she starts receiving drops that quickly become threatening. The sender, whoever it is, lays down a set of rules that includes not leaving the place, not trying to get help and not telling her date what’s going on. If she violates any one of them, her son will be killed by the masked individual waiting inside her house in full view of her security cams.
So what does “Unknown Caller” want? UC wants Violet to kill her date with a vial of poison she retrieves from the ladies room. It’s up to her how she gets in his drink, but she has to do it or else her son will die. UC could be anybody in the restaurant like the slightly skeevy pianist (Weeks, The Mindy Project) or the guy (Nelson, The Lake) who bumped into Violet when she arrived. Maybe it’s the waiter (Self, Spoiler Alert) who’s the very definition of “too much”. Or the dorky guy (Diamond, Moneyball) dumped by his blind date. Everybody in the place is a suspect. Who could it be? And why does UC want Henry dead?
Directed by Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day 1 & 2), Drop is a solid thriller with genuine suspense. It kept me interested even though I correctly figured it out long before the reveal. It just seemed the most logical explanation once I had all the facts. Chances are you’ll figure it out too, especially when Violet is told to do this one thing. Or maybe you won’t. There is another explanation albeit a far-fetched one. What I’m saying is that Drop keeps you guessing as to who and why although the who is harder to figure out than the why if that makes any sense.
While the leads might not be stars (yet), they have definite potential. Fahy does a fine job as the protagonist of the tale, a damaged woman who has to tap into her inner strength if she wants to protect her son. Via flashbacks, we get a good idea of the hell she endured at the hands of a violent spouse. She manages to keep it together for the sake of her son. Now she’s forced to deal with being victimized again, this time by an unknown person. Sklenar does good work as a legitimately decent (and infinitely patient) guy unknowingly in danger. Beane adds spunk as the sister who serves as babysitter and fashion consultant.
Landon, with masterful cinematography by Marc Spicer, makes excellent use of the single location. He turns a fancy (and mad expensive!) restaurant into a death trap with nowhere for Violet to hide. The UC has the place wired meaning UC sees and hears everything Violet does or tries to do. Putting the characters in a place high off the ground adds to the tension. The climax featuring Violet racing home to deal with matters there is well handled. It’s probably best not to ask how she gets there before the police. It’s one of those things that typically happen in thrillers.
Like I said, Drop is a decent thriller. It doesn’t even matter that it’s PG-13. It’s so genuinely thrilling that it never feels watered down. It runs a lean 95 minutes meaning it never feels unnecessarily dragged out. Boring and slow are two things Drop isn’t. It’s a good movie.
