S. Craig Zahler has made a name for himself in the industry. With his brutal western, Bone Tomahawk, and his merciless grind-house prison flick Brawl in Cell Block 99, Zahler has demonstrated his ability to draw in his audiences with intriguing characters, shocking violence, and gritty realism. While these films don’t receive a wide release, they manage to garner the same attention and discussion as bigger feature films due to their unique and controversial nature. Zahler’s latest film is no different.
Dragged Across Concrete stars Mel Gibson as Brett Ridgeman, a seasoned cop who is willing to bend the rules to ensure justice is served. Vince Vaughn stars as Anthony Lurasetti, a rookie cop taken under Ridgeman’s wing who is the voice of reason during their workday. Ridgeman and Lurasetti receive a six-week suspension from the force without pay after they are caught on video roughhousing a criminal while making a drug bust. Feeling betrayed by the system he has served for so long and struggling to make ends meet, Ridgeman decides to track down and steal from a band of criminals who plan to rob a bank. Lurasetti reluctantly agrees to tag along as the two set out to pursue an alternative method of justice in order to receive their proper compensation. Meanwhile, Henry Johns, played by Tory Kittles, has been recently released from prison. He is caught in between the action as he struggles to provide a better life for his mom and brother by stealing from the band of criminals he was hired to work for.
Clocking in at two hours and forty minutes, this is Zahler’s longest film to date. Zahler decides to use most of this time to showcase his writing ability instead of high-tension action sequences. The dialogue is remarkable and has a particular style of diction unique to Zahler. As usual, he makes a point to take his time with each character, allowing the audience to better understand motivations and gain multiple perspectives on the events as they unravel. The tension-filled scenes tend to act as a solid substitute for typical action sequences that we’re used to with his work. While this is his least violent film to date, it is not without its shockingly gruesome moments.
The manner in which Zahler portrays the bank robbers or “villains” truly embodies everything that is evil and upsetting. The most shockingly unpleasant scene happens during the bank heist. The way the heist itself is executed is original and unsettling. Jennifer Carpenter has an extended cameo as Kelly Summer, a new mother reluctantly returning from maternity leave to her day job at the bank. It’s easy to look at the amount of screen time that is given to her and view it as completely unnecessary, but Zahler does this to give a face, personality, and backstory to an innocent bystander that becomes victim to a heinous act of evil. It is highly effective in giving real weight to the situation while accurately demonstrating the kind of evil we’re dealing with.
Mel Gibson is as good as he’s ever been here. His character shares similarities in his personality traits and current situation that seem to resonate with the actor in his personal life. For example, Ridgeman is being rejected by a system that he has been serving and making his living off of for most of his life. This is reflective of the actor’s experience in Hollywood after the drunken rant that caused him to be a pariah. This brings a true sense of realism to his character and Mel is clearly enjoying himself. The back and forth between him and Vaughn sold me on their friendship and loyalty to one another, while also providing for some comedic moments to distract from the film’s grim tone. This film reminded me of why Mel is great at what he does, and I can only hope that we continue to see him take on more roles like this.
This movie grows on you long after the first viewing. It’s easy to go in expecting certain things out of it based on Zahler’s previous work. When those expectations aren’t met in the ways you thought they were going to be met, the immediate reaction after the credits roll might not be as favorable towards the film overall. But once the lens of certain expectations fades, you begin to notice and appreciate certain aspects of Zahler’s craft. His writing is definitely stronger here than ever before, making his characters more interesting and the film’s subtext a little more palpable than in his prior films. Zahler is someone that doesn’t allow controversy to hinder his storytelling. He puts care into his characters and takes his time with the story, making the final product very effective and worth your while. Dragged Across Concrete is another testament to his style and approach to film, and I sure hope it isn’t his last.
