The Drop (2014)

Bob (Tom Hardy) works in a bar that was once owned by his cousin Marv (James Gandolfini), but is now run by Chechens, who will occasionally use it as the drop point for all the illegal money they make that particular night. Bob finds a puppy abandoned in Nadia's (Noomi Rapace) trash can. This prompts a slow friendship between them, as Bob does not know how to care for a dog.

The movie feels like it's about acceptance. What you have to accept about yourself, what you accept from others. Marv can't let go of the time 10 - sorry, eight-and-a-half - years ago that he was a local big shot. Before the Chechens rolled in, and he rolled over. Nadia has tried to make peace with the person she used to be, when she, 'didn't like herself very much,' but when her shitty ex rolls back into her life, she can't see a way to push him back out.

Bob, on the other hand, seems to grasp power dynamics better. He's honest and straightforward with the Chechens, because he understands that he can't challenge him. The shitty ex, who was also the dog's owner, is another matter. Bob lets the guy flex and preen, and be intimidating. When the guy insists he got the dog chipped and has papers, and Bob must pay 10 grand or he'll go to the cops, Bob goes with. Better to buy the papers and own the dog, legal and proper. When the shitty ex, in conjunction with Marv, overreaches, Bob deals with it, decisively.

The film is not exactly subtle in hinting that there's more to Bob than on the surface. It's fond of lighting Hardy's face in red. It might be only an ear, or it might cover half or more of his face. By the time Bob actually does something, the audience is well-primed for it. Plus, the shitty ex beat the dog before dumping it in a garbage can, so my dad was extremely eager to see that guy get his.

The cop character in the movie feels kind of pointless beyond an exposition vehicle. He seems to grasp everything that's going on, but can't prove any of it. So he's reduced to showing up and asking Bob indirect questions, trying unsuccessfully to trick him into a mistake.