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Bob is good/bad/stuck/loyal/and a stone cold killer and hired hand

posted 9 years ago by radar303
13 replies | jump to latest

Great movie that I have studied quite hard. It is better on the second viewing. The first viewing most of us would tend to look at Gandolfini in his last role. He was scene chewer in most everything he did...but here he is 3rd or 4th fiddle as the complex BOB, the "grew up in the wrong neighborhood" Nadia, the icy, dopey and petty crook Deeds are more interesting characters. Cousin Marv is a man who is so desperate that he is willing to subject the only guy who is loyal to him(BOB) get caught up in the crossfire. He lives in his past glories as a respected business owner. He has almost nothing to show for his life. His sister takes care of him. But Marv is smart enough to know that his end is near. He is betting on the longest of long shots to come in. He is rightly fearful of the Chechens.

And the Chechens know almost everything that is going on. The Chechens also know that BOB is the one who takes care of business. It could be a possibility that BOB has done some side work for them. Where does he come up with 10,000 in cash? BOB goes to church every morning YET does not take communion. That is a vital clue into his make up. Receiving communion absolves sins...does BOB not want absolution? When Nadia asks about him being 'in the game"? He lies and says NO. His actions everyday belie that. His coolness in getting rid of the arm? He has done this type of stuff lots of times. Marv knew it and warns Deeds not to mess with him. And BOB calls the Chechens to clean up the murder scene. Quid Pro Quo.

The heavily accented Chova in one of the last scenes(the clean up) gives BOB the bar. He also dialogues about BOB's skill in dealing with things. He knows BOB's talents.

The detective figured it all out as well. He studied BOB and he figured that a guy who showed a face to the outside world(kind of slow and easy to step on) was a guy who was dangerous as hell. The little neighborhood had the BAR as the center of its soul. So many things happened at the BAR....and the detective figured that Marv was just the name....BOB was the center piece...because he was always there and did all the work. I sensed that the non taking of communion by BOB was his inspiration for his hard look at BOB. "They never see you coming" was not just about Whelan and DEEDS...that is for sure....

One of the great scenes is where DEEDS who never shows anything but icy cool and detached evil.....was scared s****** when BOB starts talking about him and NOT OPENING the safe. DEEDS got it right then that BOB was very dangerous. Great acting by Matthias.

VERY good job by Hardy and I am ambivalent about his killing of Nadia. He almost smiled.

[–] webifi 9 years ago

and I am ambivalent about his killing of Nadia.

The hell!?!

[–] radar303 9 years ago

It has been posited that Bob was the ultimate cleaner. Nadia knew and it has been said on other posts about this movie that the last scene was NOT Bob and Nadia riding off in the sunset together...but another clever thing that Bob was doing to get rid of people who knew his dark secrets...."they never see you coming...do they Bob"...was not just about Whelan and Deeds. The almost smile either meant that Bob was getting Nadia as a life mate or he had right where he wanted, trusting him so that he could off her.

[–] CarpeDiemO_O 9 years ago

If he wanted to off her, then why wouldn't he have just done it in the bar right when she saw him kill Deeds? I think you're over thinking it.

[–] kmags84 9 years ago

The last scene is actually conveying the OPPOSITE of what you're saying.

Nadia DOES SEE Bob coming. She knows exactly who he is and respects that side of him. Bob feels too much GUILT to take Communion. He doesn't feel he deserves it. You need to watch again. Bob understands his place in the Underworld. He isn't trying to live in a False Reality. Marv... Well he's the opposite too. He loves the "Glory Days" and wishes he still was respected... He's not. Now, don't get me wrong, neither are "Weak" so to say. They obviously have done some BAD *beep* over the years and We see this in the film as well... But the point of the narrative is simple. Some Dogs are all Bark, NO Bite. Others are No Bark, ALL Bite. One lives in the past, the other is trying to look forward. Many scenes show this with imagery or dialogue. It's right there to see

[–] desmet1879 9 years ago

The Chechens' respect for Bob comes from his calm demeanor and the fact that he doesn't make waves, just shuts up and does his job (unlike his cousin Marv).
The detective's comment ("they never see you coming") was in reference to the two mysterious disappearances. He was investigating the Richie Whelan case and suspected Bob, then all of a sudden another lowlife goes missing with Bob being the last one to see him.
Bob had to call the Chechens as it was their bar, there had been a robbery attempt and there was now a dead body to deal with.
Bob doesn't take communion because he doesn't feel he deserves forgiveness. He says in the film, "some sins are so bad you can't come back from them." Not a hardened killer. He is suffering a lifetime of remorse because of the one horrible thing he did many years ago.
Having all that cash was explained more clearly in the book. Bob was a simple guy who lived frugally and didn't spend much of his money.
In no way was Bob planning to kill Nadia. He let her go in the bar without hesitation and it didn't even seem to occur to him that she could inform on him. His "almost-smile" was prompted by seeing Nadia walking back out to him.
Dennis Lehane wrote the screenplay based on his own story. In it, Bob is definitely not a career criminal, but a very shy, socially awkward man who did one really bad thing in his life, and is pushed to do a second out of his love for Nadia and Rocco.

[–] kmags84 9 years ago

Exactly. Bob is capable of doing what he has to. I DO think he is awkward but only because he's not sure of himself or exactly whom he's supposed to be. So it leads to all the strange encounters and behavior throughout the film. BUT, the moment he has to make a decision, he isn't awkward at all. I like the times he opens up a bit. He talks more confidently and you can see he's not the man he seems to be.

[–] aaarrrzzz 9 years ago

Read the post that has title like Birdman. "Idiot's guide to The Drop" or the "Drop for Dummy's." That comment nails every point of contention in this movie distilled in one post. Should have had a less snarky title to it.

[–] kmags84 9 years ago

Yeah I've read that before(As well as the Novel), it's all very clear. I love this film because as sharp as it is, it doesn't try to be TOO Much. Cleverly filmed, important dialogue, symbolic imagery... But it still holds up as a simple Crime Caper. You give this 2-3 views and it all becomes clear. The Communion could be Guilt or just the fact he's never confessed to his sins, either way, he finally does at the end. Maybe not in Church though but regardless... It's not hard to see.

[–] mleal7919 8 years ago

Absolutely spot on

[–] jamesjacksonjrjj 9 years ago

Marv gave Bob the 10k for killing Whelan but Bob felt so guilty about it he couldn't even spend the money. Thus the reason he was gonna spend it on the dog. He got it for taking a life now he wants to use it go save a life.

[–] NYG11 9 years ago

As another poster said, Bob lived frugally, lived in what had been his parents home (so no mortgage), so basically saved the majority of his pay over the course of many years, which explains how he had $10,000 cash (and more) readily accessible.

[–] CoSMiGoNoN 9 years ago

Receiving communion doesn't absolve sins, only confessing your sins to a priest does. The reason he doesn't take communion is because you cannot receive it if you haven't confessed your sins to a priest 1st and have them absolved. It's obvious he's never confessed the murder to a priest, thus he's not allowed to receive the communion.

[–] Hank_Lebowski 8 years ago

Also, I believe the Chechens main reason to be there was because the bar was the drop for the night and they were picking up the money. Since they own the bar and like/respect Bob they cleaned up for him because he "protected their money" although his motives for killing Deeds lie elsewhere. Deeds was mean to the dog and he wouldn't leave Nadia alone. If Bob was going to kill Nadia, he would've done it at the bar and wouldn't have covered for her when asked if Deeds was alone that night. She is Bobs communion, his redemption so to speak. She is a package deal with the dog in a way. Notice in his rant after shooting deeds he says "he was going to hurt our dog". Bob views Nadia and Rocco in a similar light and he cares deeply for both of them. He killed Glory Days for Marv and he killed Deeds for Rocco, Nadia, & himself. There's always someone he is killing for and if he killed Nadia who would that be for?