“It’s just a date.”

Story: Violet has decided to get back into the dating scene after a long absence. That long absence being surviving DV, the “suspicious” death of her husband, and trying to make life better for her young son. Her date Henry seems like the perfect guy, but it’s the 21st Century, so cellphones gotta wreck everything. Or maybe it’s just the mysterious killer that keeps AirDropping Violet messages that threaten her son if she doesn’t play along. Immediately. And you thought dating was rough.

Genre I’d put it in: Stress-fests That Get Really Fun During Act 3
Release Date: 2025
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: OG, though there are vibes that hark back to other stressy action flicks like Red Eye and Phone Booth.

Gotta say: Before I get into anything, I need to post up a big ol’ TRIGGER WARNING for DV. The opening scene of Drop is an intense, no-holds-barred moment of terror for a bloody, beaten Violet and her menacing husband. Director Christopher Langdon and star Meghann Fahy do an incredible job selling this moment, and it might be too much for some survivors of DV. Now, with that out of the way? Drop is a complete stress-fest of a film for the first three quarters of the story, and fans of this genre will find much to love here. For folks who aren’t really down with “oh noes what’s coming” stories? You still may have some fun if you stick around. And you should. Hear me out.

First of all, don’t be too worried about being overstressed. This is definitely a PG-13 joint, from the limited blood to the low body count. Langdon builds tension by forming connections between the characters, so the outcome becomes more important as time goes on. That said, there were times when I wanted that connection to come sooner. Moments that seem like they were probably meant to be Very Serious And Suspenseful ended up falling flat, or being unintentionally funny. Too much of the first and second act seem to drag, as Violet tries to appease the killer while acting like the most suspicious person on the room. It’s a combo that’s believable, but absolutely annoying to watch. This film could have been edited to an tight, exciting thriller by shaving 15 to 20 minutes off the runtime.

But? It’s the third act that’s worth the price of admission. The onscreen chemistry between Fahy and Sklenar is absolutely adorable from the jump, even with the overdone relationship plot armor they have as the stakes progress. Not only do Fahy and Sklenar give emotional performances, their Violet and Henry feel like real people who are forming a genuine connection. And that’s nice here; too many action films shove their leads together in the final scene and it feels weird. Here, the leads feel like they want to be together. Even after all the crazy relationship plot armor of the second act, and the Die Hard-esque finale. Now that’s attraction. And Brandon Sklenar’s Henry deserves an award for the most understanding guy ever. Or the most thirsty. Both? Both is good.

While the cast isn’t large, there are one too many side characters horning in on the action. Seriously, Matt the waiter was testing my last nerve in the worst way. Bless Jeffery Self’s heart, he did his best with the garbage “hyper-eager waiter from hell” dialogue he was given. I get it; the idea is to introduce characters so we can try to figure out who’s threatening our Vi. But instead, they’re just folks who seem shoehorned into the story, painted either too innocent or too creepy. Shout out to Gabrielle Ryan as Cara, the bartender who keeps tabs on Violet after hearing it’s Vi’s first date in a while. Ryan imbues Cara with a no-nonsense professionalism, yet shows compassion when Violet begins to act strangely. It’s not a huge role, but Ryan makes the character shine.

Sure, you’ll see every turn coming, like clockwork. But it’s the uniqueness of those turns that makes Drop fun. This is the kind of movie that I’d like to get back to. Watching it after knowing how things’ll play out can be fun, especially when the cast is this talented. Plus, I need another look at that absolutely killer red velvet jumpsuit. Girl, WERK.

#Protip: In real life, you can limit your AirDrop access to your contacts, or just turn it off altogether. Thank goodness. Breathe easy, my Apple folks.