Film Review: "Dragged Across Concrete" (2018).

"Those Who Can't Earn A Living Must Find Another Way To Provide" in Dragged Across Concrete. This neo-noir action thriller film written and directed by S. Craig Zahler. What bad things will good men do for their families? A stolid, old guard policeman, Ridgeman and his volatile younger partner, Anthony, find themselves suspended when a video of them strong-arming a suspect becomes the media's special du jour. Low on cash and with no other options, these two embittered soldiers descend into the criminal underworld to gain their just due. On the other side of the law, Henry Jones comes home from years in prison to find his mother and disabled brother living in squalor. The ex-convict needs a way to help and to this end, his childhood friend Biscuit introduces him to a ruthless crime boss whose ambitious plans put him and his pal in direct conflict with the two renegade officers.

By early February 2017, the film was announced with Zahler signed on to direct his script; Unified Pictures, Cinestate, Assemble Media, Look to the Sky Films, and Unified Film Fund financing and producing; and Mel Gibson and Vince Vaughn to star. In May, Lionsgate acquired the US distribution rights to the film, and would release it through its subsidiary, Summit Entertainment. By mid July, Tory Kittles, Michael Jai White, Jennifer Carpenter, Laurie Holden, Fred Melamed, Udo Kier, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Thomas Kretschmann, Don Johnson, and Richard Newman rounded out the film's cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced, and took place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. According to many associated with the production, it was long thought that the film would have a wide theatrical release in the US. However, it was rumored that Lionsgate requested the film be edited down to an "audience friendly" a hundred and thirty minutes which was met with much disdain from Zahler. Considering his final cut clause in his contract, Lionsgate opted to release the film in a limited theatrical run and same day digital through Summit Entertainment, mirroring the other Zahler releases. The film stands uncut and unedited at a hundred and fifty nine minutes.

The film features an ensemble cast including Gibson, Vaughn, Kittles, Jai White, Carpenter, Holden, Melamed, Kier, Bell Calloway, Kretschmann, Johnson, and Newman. In the middle of all the wince-inducing, limb-bending, bone-crunching, face-exploding bloodshed, Gibson and Vaughn turn in legitimately great performance that ranks among the finest work they've ever done. Their performances are hard, dark, and mercilessly committed, and the film gives you nowhere to hide from them - no twangs of irony or conspiratorial winks to take the edge off what ensues.

Dragged Across Concrete rides committed performances of Gibson and Vaughn into the brutally violent—and undeniably entertaining—depths of prison-set grindhouse genre fare. In terms of its storyline alone, this is a bit of a potboiler, a typical prison drama, but the dialogue is razor sharp and the performances, especially that of Gibson and Vaughn, are far more nuanced and poignant than you'd expect.

Simon says Dragged Across Concrete receives:

Also, see my review for Brawl in Cell Block 99.