It would be easy to become sentimental and profess 'The Drop' - the final movie starring the late James Gandolfini - as the finest of his career. A movie that perfectly encapsulated every inch of his craft. The Drop is probably not that movie - Enough Said is that movie - but Michael R Roskam's thriller is an accomplished movie that features a commanding central performance from the Sopranos man, who is effortlessly supported by the talented Tom Hardy.

The DropJames Gandolfini in 'The Drop'

The British actor plays bartender Bob Saginowski, who funnels cash to local gangsters from his Brooklyn drinking hole. However, under the heavy hand of his employer and cousin Marv (Gandolfini), Bob finds himself at the center of a robbery gone awry and a subsequent investigation digs deep into the neighbourhood's criminal past.

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"Mr. Roskam's direction is gratifyingly loose. He lets the story, which is really the least interesting part of the movie, more or less take care of itself, allowing us to savor pungent morsels of dialogue and bits of low-key actorly showboating," said A.O Scott of the New York Times.

"There's a lot of repressed rage in The Drop, a Dennis Lehane crime story about a lonely Brooklyn barkeep who's drawn out of his self-imposed isolation." said Jeff Labrecque of Entertainment Weekly.

James Gandolfini Tom HardyGandolfini [L] and Tom Hardy [R] in 'The Drop'

"A perfectly respectable crime-drama that's only hindered by the fact it feels redundant to a genre that's already become fairly oversaturated," said Edward Douglas of Coming Soon.net.

"The Drop doesn't always feel fresh, but its dialogue is smart and its cast is vivid; you'll want to leave this neighborhood, but not before the story is done," wrote Moira MacDonald of the Seattle Times.

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Gandolfini died in Italy after wrapping the movie and Hardy has fond memories of working with the towering actor.

"James Gandolfini was a talented, kind and sensitive artist," he told Flicks and Bits, "He brought a wealth of authenticity and truthfulness to the role. It was great fun to work with him because he was a quick and funny man with a lot of heart. I don't think I would have laughed half as much with another actor on set."

The Drop hits theaters on September 12, 2014. 

Watch 'The Drop' trailer: