It seems many will disagree, but I found 'The Drop' incredibly uninspiring.

I don't look at ratings/reviews of films until after I watch them, to allow myself to form my own opinion. So you can imagine my surprise at seeing this rated fairly highly across many platforms. I respect that, but for me this is terrible.

First of all, I must say this, I love Tom Hardy and James Gandolfini - two superb actors. That's where the good for this film ends. Neither Hardy or Gandolfini give their best here, though are not helped by the poor script and lacklustre premise.

You can tell they were going for something smart, like that mechanic they use for the drops inside the bar - they show it once at the beginning, then a few times near the conclusion as if it's something mind-blowing.

I realised at one point I was 1hr 15mins or so in and was shocked as nothing had happened. To me, this is the definition of a plodding storyline. They build and build without it leading to anything, even throwing in an entirely predictable love quarrel.

Back to the onscreen people, Hardy's accent bothered me too. I'm not normally one to critique accents, I even like Don Cheadle's 'effort' in the 'Ocean's' trilogy for example. It felt so forced. The other cast members are entirely forgettable, also.

I think the reason I'm so frustrated by this is the fact it has two great leads, with an initial plot that could be enthralling. Instead, it's an absolute snoozefest. Perhaps I missed something?

"Bob" (Tom Hardy) and his cousin "Marv" (James Gandolfini) run a bar that is regularly used for the anonymous drop - money paid to their Chechen landlords - and all goes fine until it is robbed. They are tasked with retrieving the money and are soon immersed in a cycle of gangland betrayal and deception that isn't helped by a police investigation into another murder, and the curious "Eric Deeds" (Matthias Schoenaerts) whose dog "Bob" has rescued from maltreatment. Nobody knows who to trust and director Michaël Roskam manages to use the talent at his disposal, alongside some effective lighting and a careful build up of the pace to help this better-than-average thriller work up to it's clever conclusion. Noomi Rapace ("Nadia") features only sparingly, and Hardy's accent maybe isn't the best - but the complexities of the plot as well as a reasonable attempt to develop the characterisations into people we cared a little about do help this stand out. Hardy shows us that he has the ability to deliver a slightly more multi-dimensional persona and this is a good watch with quite a quirky ending.

Are you doing something desperate? Something we can't clean up this time?

The Drop is directed by Michael R. Roskam and written by Dennis Lehane, who adapts from his own short story titled Animal Rescue. It stars Tom Hardy, James Gandolfini, Noomi Rapace and Matthias Schoenaerts. Music is by Marco Beltrami and cinematography by Nicolas Karakatsanis.

Brooklyn barman Bob Saginowski (Hardy) spies an opportunity for a better life - but only if he can escape family ties, the crime that surrounds him and a dark past

It's arguably a tricky film to recommend with confidence given that it doesn't sit still in crime genre company. This is very much a character based story about a small handful of people affected by crime, where they are chained to events occurring by way of law breaking. Roskam is in no hurry what so ever to spin his picture's literary worth, very much favouring a slow burn - even low key - approach. He deftly develops atmosphere whilst simultaneously ensuring we the viewers are very much a part of the setting and situations - something Lehane does so brilliantly in his novels. By the time the pic plays its hand, what appeared at first to be needless complexities, are valid and close the piece down with some considerable success. 7.5/10