Directed by:
S. Craig ZahlerScreenplay:
S. Craig ZahlerCinematography:
Benji BakshiCast:
Mel Gibson, Vince Vaughn, Tory Kittles, Michael Jai White, Thomas Kretschmann, Jennifer Carpenter, Laurie Holden, Don Johnson, Udo Kier, Fred Melamed (more)VOD (3)
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Dragged Across Concrete follows two police detectives, Brett Ridgeman (Mel Gibson) and Anthony Lurasetti (Vince Vaughn) who find themselves suspended when a video of their strong-arm tactics is leaked to the media. With little money and no options, the embittered policemen and a recently paroled convict descend into the criminal underworld and find more than they wanted waiting in the shadows. (StudioCanal UK)
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Reviews (17)
S. Craig Zahler one of the most interesting and distinctive directors of recent years. After the western Bone Tomahawk and the brutal prison thriller Brawl in Cell Block 99, he brings us a solid raw crime film starring Mel Gibson and Vince Vaughn. Although it’s mostly dialogue and takes place mostly in a car, it almost doesn't matter, because watching two excellent actors critique the social situation in America and hilariously stick it to us is a blast. The highlights are definitely the uncompromising bank robbery and the final shootout, which takes pulls no punches. Uncompromising, violent, surprising and actually unpleasant, that's Zahler. Some may be bothered by the 160-minute running time, but surprisingly the film passes quickly. 80%
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“We have the skills and the right to acquire proper compensation." It is typical for Zahler that overarching plot is simplistic and the story in terms of “who, what, why, how" is clear from the very first moment. Basically, according to all principles, the story line should not be enough for more than a two-and-a-half-hour film. But it is. And the reason for that is unusually strong dialogs, characters and performance and gradation of individual situations. This is also reflected in his “author´s" directing. The scenes, as he shows them, would barely last a few seconds in movies of other´s directors or ended up on the floor of the cutting room. But in his movie these scenes are highlighted. He let them slowly flow in a non-film and statical way for long minutes “where nothing seems to be happening and where there might not be any reason for them". But there is. Subliminal tension, characters and actors who have the space to perform minimalist performances benefit greatly from this. So, it's still true that the length and slow pace are justified (except for the unnecessary anabasis around the character of Jennifer Carpenter) and that it's so unique that it's not for everyone. This time it applies even more, because inevitably many will confuse it with the film's message / opinion of the film maker and not of the characters, due to the real right-wing racist main characters of the “white angry middle-class men". But we can only blame time we live in. And we must admit that this time Zahler uses the “troll" level quite deliberately and damn skillfully (about 70%). Fortunately, however, this does not overshadow the fact that this honest and harsh criminal movie from an older than old school is mainly and above all based on the characters an (100%).
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A noir version of Lethal Weapon, a film with a complex script and many characters, yet intelligible, dark, cynical and cruel. From a director who is not afraid to go beyond the edge of standards and in a sense does absolutely what he wants, creating a new subgenre – a dark alternative to Tarantino's films, where the dialogue passages are also often ridiculously over the top. A film from a different era with distinctive qualities, yet perhaps too long.
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For me, S. Craig Zahler has become something a newly emerged American filmmaker, whose every next film in an incredible experience. This is the third time I meet with his craft, and it is once again the case. The precise dialogues might be not as filled with pop-cultural references as those in Tarantino’s movies, but they are wonderfully on point. Add in the brutality that doesn’t pull any punches. At the same time, it makes you wonder how far a film can go and not to cross the line. Here there’s at least one scene that crosses it, and I think the director likes to include something like this in his every movie. Moreover, it is interesting that he makes his movies based on his own script and uses his own music as accompaniment; he might be something of a genius. Moreover, the movie features the perfect duo of Gibson and Vaugh, who look like a throwback to the 1990s. Simply fantastic, what can I say. Had ti been a bit shorter, I’d have given it five stars. I understand that the director made some scenes longer on purpose for the atmosphere, but sometimes it was too much. Anyhow, it remains a decent action movie, one of the most distinctive ones in the recent years.
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Zahler chose a more accessible style, but that doesn't mean it's predictable or less brutal. He presents very contemporary topics in this movie, which moralizes about two cops whom the system has driven to the edge of the law. Gibson has a successful comeback in terms of acting and Vaughn is great as his partner. And he has to be. A considerable portion of the picture involves them sitting in a car and chatting. There isn’t much action, but when there is, it’s realistic and brutal in typical Zahler fashion. The fate of the supporting characters is often shocking. The film's slow pace makes sense.
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