Dragged Across Concrete (2019)

Review

159min

Genre:     Action, Crime, Drama

Director:  S. Craig Zahler

Cast:       Mel Gibson, Vince Vaughn, Tory Kittles…and more

Writer:    S. Craig Zahler

-Synopsis-

When two hard-working but overzealous cops are suspended for misconduct and police brutality, they plunge into the underworld to take matters into their own hands to get their dues the easy way, only to stumble upon a callous criminal conspiracy which tests their moral compass to the limit—in this latest brutal indie drama from the writer/director of ‘Bone Tomahawk’ and ‘Brawl in Cell Block 99’.

Having established himself as a new force in indie filmmaking with his first two unconventional genre epics, Miami filmmaker S. Craig Zahler returns to apply his distinct storytelling pace, tone and daunting runtime to another brutal but very human tale of crime and corruption—resurrecting a 1970s retro style but applying his modern cinematic sensibilities, with more than a little something to say about the society we live in and how we relate to each other.

Mel Gibson stars as tough and jaded ‘Bulwark’ city police officer ‘Brett Ridgeman’, an honest cop with outdated political views and questionable methods, working the streets with his younger more level-headed partner ‘Anthony Lurasetti’ (Vince Vaughn) when their latest suspension for excessive force drives them to desperate measures to provide for their families, working the other side of the law and targeting the criminal underworld. But the quest for their just deserts gets out of hand when they cross paths with mysterious foreigner ‘Lorentz Vogelmann’ (Thomas Kretschmann), two cold-blooded masked operators, ex-con ‘Henry Johns’ (Tory Kittles) trying to do right by his family, and his childhood friend ‘Biscuit’ (Michael Jai White)—as their collective criminal escapades soon turn into a brutal paranoid struggle for survival.

Ever since Quentin Tarantino burst onto the scene during the early 90s indie film revolution, filmmakers of every description have been keeping the spirit of 1970s exploitation cinema alive by doing their thing with its style, themes and sensibility, and with ‘Dragged Across Concrete’ Zahler is subtly carrying on that tradition. Yet this is also very much a contemporary crime drama, and indeed the clash-of-cultures between generations and how they did things is a key element of the narrative, with race relations in America at the heart of the story, but handled in a manner which might prove too blunt and troublesome for more sensitive souls.

Much like his first two films, Zahler’s latest is defined by the mix of fluctuating tones with graphic and brutal violence, plus a sprinkling of deadpan situational black humour, separating it from most other genre films or crime thrillers. This is also another deliberate, slow burn minimalist affair, unfolding over the best part of three hours and proving more of a character piece than a tense crime thriller or action spectacle. It’s never flashy and largely foregoes a musical score in the more tense dramatic moments, opting  for the stillness and piercing natural sounds of the scene—but the director can’t resist indulging in his musical talents, co-writing several songs for an energetic soundtrack of 70s-style funk, soul and R&B which blesses other parts of the movie.

Yet when the action does hit, it makes a mark, giving you hints of the graphic and gory exploits to come as it builds towards a tense and bloody Mexican standoff conclusion, but resisting the urge to go over-the-top and never quite reaching the ultra-violence levels of the ‘Bone Tomahawk’ and ‘Brawl in Cell Block 99’ endings.

This is however more a character drama than anything else, often featuring more formal and intricate dialogue than you might expect, revolving largely around the two white cops and Tory Kittles’ African-American ex-con character, and with the subject of marginalisation and race in America proving an important thread in the film. Ultimately this is a story of very different people from opposite sides of the tracks finding common humanity in the dark side of our nature, thrown together by circumstance to provide for their families . . . by any means necessary.

Mel Gibson continues his Hollywood rehabilitation with a subdued and restrained yet intense performance as a disgraced social pariah who refuses to play politics or change with the times—a bold and interesting choice for the role considering his past—in a performance which occasionally proves self-referential regarding his scandal and downfall, while the film comments on the media landscape which brought it about. Meanwhile Vince Vaughn is charismatic as always but slightly melancholy as his partner, and if there is a hero of the piece it’s probably Tory Kittles as the cunning the former jailbird willing to risk everything for his family—but all the characters are questionable here, and at best inhabit different shades of grey.

Much like his previous work, Zahler’s latest will inevitably prove divisive, too slow and deliberate for an audience fed on crime-thrillers where graphic violence is often accompanied by high-octane action and relentless tension, while others may find it too brutal, confronting and morally ambiguous. For us ‘Dragged Across Concrete’ may be far from masterful and less suspenseful than it could have been, but it’s probably the director’s most well-rounded and bold film in terms of narrative. Daring to depict bigotry realistically and encouraging everyone to leave their corner of the political spectrum and remain open-minded, keeping you engrossed throughout—despite the daunting runtime—ultimately challenging perceptions and preconceptions while leading to common humanity, albeit in highly questionable and unconventional style.

This is undoubtedly a muscular and masculine drama, whether ‘toxic’ or not, and is told from a white perspective, all of which makes it an immediate sin in the eyes of some, but that’s wilfully missing the point of the film—meant to be the story of men who are unwilling to change with the times or go as far as society has been pushed. While this isn’t the grindhouse genre mashup that  Zahler’s first two films proved to be, and might not be quite as eventful, ‘Dragged Across Concrete’ has the most substance, and far more to say—even if you disapprove of the method . . . or the messengers.

The Bottom Line…

A brutal yet restrained crime odyssey of paranoia, regret and mistrust, ‘Dragged Across Concrete’ may prove an acquired taste, but this genre piece-come-character drama commands (sometimes morbidly) your attention while daring to deliver a message in blunt confronting style, and solidifies S. Craig Zahler’s reputation as one of the bolder and more distinct indie filmmakers of recent years.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017)

When a tough but honest ex-criminal gets forced back into his drug-dealing ways, consequence comes knocking as his burgeoning young family is replaced by concrete walls and metal doors—only for a dangerous prison mission to be the only form of salvation for everything he holds dear, in this ultra-violent modern grindhouse genre mashup from the director of 2015’s ‘Bone Tomahawk’.

Directed by S. Craig Zahler and starring Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Carpenter and Don Johnson among others.

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