Tuesday’s Top Trailer: The Drop

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

The Drop – Opening September 12, 2014

This film has a lot of things going for it, and there are a few positive places to start. The source material for this film comes from Dennis Lehane, whose novels have been adapted into “Mystic River,” “Gone Baby Gone,” and “Shutter Island.” His short story “Animal Rescue” is the basis for this movie, which is set in New York. Tom Hardy, who impressed in a big way with a solo performance in “Locke,” is the understated star headed down a bad path but trying to stay straight, with James Gandolfini as his mentor. It’s bittersweet to see Gandolfini again since he passed away last year. He was a strong actor famous for one role, and I liked him a lot in some of his other efforts, like “The Mexican” and “Enough Said,” so seeing him here as the senior mentor figure should be satisfying and a fitting tribute to his too-short career. Also in the cast is Noomi Rapace, who has made an interesting and relatively successful translation to English-language American cinema after breaking out in the original Swedish version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” The storyline indicated by this trailer isn’t terribly fresh or innovative, but sometimes films just work, and Lehane’s track record suggests this could be another strong cinematic adaptation, with an equally competent cast. Director Michael R. Roskam’s first film, “Bullhead,” was nominated for Best Foreign Film as Belgium’s submission to the Oscars a few years ago, so maybe this could end up being another Oscar contender.