''Dragged Across Concrete'' is a 2018 American
neo-noir
Neo-noir is a revival of film noir, a genre that had originally flourished during the post-World War II era in the United Statesroughly from 1940 to 1960. The French term, ''film noir'', translates literally to English as "black film", indicating ...
crime thriller film
Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...
written and directed by
S. Craig Zahler
Steven Craig Zahler (born January 23, 1973) is an American film director, screenwriter, cinematographer, novelist, comic book artist, animator and musician.
After beginning his career working briefly as a cinematographer, Zahler focused on scre ...
. It stars an
ensemble cast
In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17
Structure
In contrast to ...
that includes
Mel Gibson
Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apocaly ...
,
Vince Vaughn
Vincent Anthony Vaughn (born March 28, 1970) is an American actor.
Vaughn began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 comedy-drama film '' Swingers''. He has appeared in ...
,
Tory Kittles
Tory Kittles is an American actor. He has appeared in the films ''Malibu's Most Wanted'' (2003), ''Get Rich or Die Tryin (2005), ''Next'' (2007), ''Miracle at St. Anna'' (2008), and ''Dragged Across Concrete'' (2018). He is known mostly for hi ...
,
Michael Jai White
Michael Jai White (born November 10, 1967) is an American actor, director and martial artist. He was the first African American to portray a major comic book superhero in a major motion picture, starring as Al Simmons, the protagonist in the 1997 ...
,
Jennifer Carpenter
Jennifer Carpenter is an American actress who is known for her role as Debra Morgan in the Showtime series '' Dexter'', for which she earned a Saturn Award in 2009, and also for playing Rebecca Harris in the CBS television series '' Limitless'' ...
,
Laurie Holden
Heather Laurie Holden (born December 17, 1969) is a Canadian-American actress, producer, and human rights activist, known for her roles as Marita Covarrubias in ''The X-Files'' (1996–2002), Adele Stanton in ''The Majestic (film), The Majestic' ...
,
Fred Melamed
Fred Melamed (born May 13, 1956) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for portraying Sy Ableman in the Coen Brothers' ''A Serious Man'' (2009). He is also known for his collaborations with Woody Allen appearing in seven of ...
,
Udo Kier
Udo Kierspe (born 14 October 1944), known professionally as Udo Kier, is a German actor. Known primarily as a character actor, Kier has appeared in more than 220 films in both leading and supporting roles throughout Europe and the Americas. He h ...
,
Thomas Kretschmann
Thomas Kretschmann (; born 8 September 1962) is a German actor who has appeared in many European and American films. His notable roles include Lieutenant Hans von Witzland in '' Stalingrad'' (1993), Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld in '' The Pianist'' ( ...
, and
Don Johnson
Donnie Wayne Johnson (born December 15, 1949) is an American actor, producer and singer. He played the role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s television series ''Miami Vice'', for which he won a Golden Globe, and received a Primetime Em ...
. The story follows two childhood friends and two police detectives that are suspended for police brutality who in a desperate need for money, are embroiled in a robbery done by a professional thief.
Zahler started working on ''Dragged Across Concrete'' right after he finished development of his previous film ''
Brawl in Cell Block 99
''Brawl in Cell Block 99'' is a 2017 American neo-noir prison action thriller film directed and written by S. Craig Zahler and starring Vince Vaughn with Jennifer Carpenter, Don Johnson, Udo Kier, Marc Blucas, and Tom Guiry. The story follows ...
'', which also starred Vaughn, Carpenter, and Johnson. Vaughn recommended Zahler to Gibson, who he previously worked with in ''
Hacksaw Ridge
''Hacksaw Ridge'' is a 2016 biographical war film directed by Mel Gibson and written by Andrew Knight and Robert Schenkkan, based on the 2004 documentary ''The Conscientious Objector'' directed by Terry Benedict. The film focuses on the World Wa ...
'', and Gibson agreed to star in the film, later followed by Kittles and White. Filming took place in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, British Columbia between July and September 2017 under a production budget of $15 million.
It premiered at the
75th Venice International Film Festival
The 75th Venice International Film Festival was held from 29 August to 8 September 2018. Mexican film director Guillermo del Toro was named as the President of the Jury. '' First Man'', directed by Damien Chazelle, was selected to open the fest ...
on September 3, 2018, and received a limited theatrical and
video-on-demand
Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of o ...
simultaneous release
A simultaneous release, also known as a day-and-date release, is the release of a film on multiple platforms—most commonly theatrical and home video—on the exact same day, or in very close proximity to each other. This is in contrast to the in ...
from
Summit Entertainment
Summit Entertainment is an American film production and distribution company. It is a label of Lionsgate Films, owned by Lionsgate Entertainment and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California.
History Independent era (1991–2012)
Summit E ...
on March 22, 2019. It was met with a mixed to positive critical reception, with praise directed toward Gibson's performance as well as its dark setting and themes; although it was criticized for its lengthy runtime, excessive violence, and what some critics perceived as
right-wing
Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authorit ...
bias due to its treatment on racism and police brutality. The film received several nominations at the
45th Saturn Awards
The 45th Saturn Awards, presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films and honoring the best in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other genres belonging to genre fiction in film, television, home entertainment, and loc ...
, but was also shortlisted for "Worst Reckless Disregard for Human Life and Public Property" at the
40th Golden Raspberry Awards
The 40th Golden Raspberry Awards, or Razzies, was an awards ceremony that honored the worst the film industry had to offer in 2019. The awards are based on votes from members of the Golden Raspberry Foundation. The nominees were announced on Feb ...
.
Plot
In the fictional city of Bulwark, recent
parole
Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...
e Henry Johns chastises his mother for returning to prostitution and taking drugs, before reuniting with his handicapped younger brother Ethan.
Three weeks later, police detectives Brett Ridgeman and Anthony Lurasetti are suspended without pay by the police department after a video leaked online revealing them committing
police brutality
Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, ...
on a drug dealer. Both detectives are desperate for money, with Ridgeman needing cash to move to a safer neighborhood for his family, while Lurasetti stalls in proposing to his girlfriend Denise. On a tip from Friedrich, a wealthy businessman with criminal connections, Ridgeman recruits Lurasetti to help him surveil and rob Lorentz Vogelmann, a professional thief.
Henry and his childhood friend Biscuit are hired by Vogelmann as
getaway drivers, whose crew: Black Gloves and Grey Gloves, have committed a series of robberies to buy a customized bulletproof van. Vogelmann and his crew then rob a bank, taking the employees and customers as hostages. A bank employee, Kelly Summers, who came back to work from her
maternity leave
Parental leave, or family leave, is an employee benefit available in almost all countries. The term "parental leave" may include maternity, Paternity (law), paternity, and adoption leave; or may be used distinctively from "maternity leave" and ...
, is shot and executed by the bank robbers after preventing a colleague from notifying the police via email. The thieves
castrate the bank manager and then escape with the
bullion
Bullion is non-ferrous metal that has been refined to a high standard of elemental purity. The term is ordinarily applied to bulk metal used in the production of coins and especially to precious metals such as gold and silver. It comes from t ...
and a hostage, Cheryl, while being tailed by Ridgeman and Lurasetti, which Henry notices. Unsettled by Vogelmann and his henchmen's brutality, Henry and Biscuit are then forced to surrender their weapons. Realizing they may be killed, Henry chooses not to reveal to Biscuit or the thieves that they are being followed by the detectives. Lurasetti learns of the atrocities committed by the thieves and berates Ridgeman for not intervening sooner or notifying the authorities, but Ridgeman asserts that law enforcement would be too late, and only the two of them can deal with the thieves. Lurasetti opts against delaying his marriage proposal to Denise and leaves her a voicemail guiding her to the engagement ring.
Arriving at a garage in the countryside, Biscuit leaps out of the van and is shot, as Henry wounds Grey Gloves with a hidden gun. Mortally wounded, Biscuit swallows the van's key; imploring Henry to take care of his mother and later is shot dead by thieves. Cheryl is sent to pull Biscuit's body into the van and Black Gloves cuts the key out of Biscuit's stomach, as Ridgeman and Lurasetti arrive and ram the van, knocking it over. Threatened by Vogelmann, Cheryl seemingly escapes from the van and as Lurasetti attempts to rescue her, shoots Lurasetti, mortally wounding him, before being executed by Ridgeman. Ridgeman then quickly kills Black Gloves as he exits the van. Ridgeman hands the dying Lurasetti his phone and he listens to a voicemail from Denise who declines his proposal before succumbing to his wounds.
Ridgeman fills the van with
tear gas
Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ad ...
, and kills Gray Gloves just as he surrenders. Before he can torch the van, Henry fires a warning shot and insists the valuable contents of the van be spared. Ridgeman climbs on top of the van and kills Vogelmann before the latter can shoot him through the retractable slit. Henry shoots Ridgeman in the foot and reveals that he has recorded the entire incident on his cellphone and identifies Ridgeman as a detective. Disarming Henry, Ridgeman proposes they split the score, and together they load the bodies and the bullion in the getaway car. Towing Lurasetti's car to a dump site, Ridgeman reveals a hidden firearm and threatens Henry to delete the video. Henry and Ridgeman both shoot at each other, with Henry mortally wounding Ridgeman. Henry agrees with the dying Ridgeman to bury Lurasetti and take care of Ridgeman's family and later buries all the bodies and promises the deceased Biscuit that he will return and give a proper burial.
Eleven months later, Henry lives in a lavish mansion with his mother and brother. He sends Ridgeman's family a package containing a share of the gold bullion.
Cast
Production
Development
On February 1, 2017, right after finishing production of his previous film ''
Brawl in Cell Block 99
''Brawl in Cell Block 99'' is a 2017 American neo-noir prison action thriller film directed and written by S. Craig Zahler and starring Vince Vaughn with Jennifer Carpenter, Don Johnson, Udo Kier, Marc Blucas, and Tom Guiry. The story follows ...
'',
S. Craig Zahler
Steven Craig Zahler (born January 23, 1973) is an American film director, screenwriter, cinematographer, novelist, comic book artist, animator and musician.
After beginning his career working briefly as a cinematographer, Zahler focused on scre ...
signed to direct ''Dragged Across Concrete'', a crime thriller based on
police brutality
Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, ...
, from a screenplay he had written.
The script is 162 pages long and remained unchanged at the time of filming, and is Zahler's favorite screenplay to write.
The story is influenced from the film ''
The Killing'' directed by
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...
and the films ''
Dog Day Afternoon
''Dog Day Afternoon'' is a 1975 American biographical crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and produced by Martin Bregman and Martin Elfand. The film stars Al Pacino, John Cazale, James Broderick, and Charles Durning. The screenplay is wri ...
'' and ''
Prince of the City
''Prince of the City'' is a 1981 American neo-noir crime drama film directed and co-written by Sidney Lumet. The film follows Daniel Ciello, an officer of the New York Police Department who chooses, for idealistic reasons, to expose corruption ...
'' directed by
Sidney Lumet
Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. He was nominated five times for the Academy Award: four for Best Director for ''12 Angry Men'' (1957), ''Dog Day Afternoon'' (1975), ''Network'' (1976), ...
, of which ''Prince of the City'' being one of Zahler's favorite films.
Zahler is more interested in building the world of his scripts than writing the plots, and had the film touch on sensitive topics such as racism.
He writes to his own liking and doesn't care about the audience's reactions as he is not chasing a mass audience. Zahler states: "I’m aware there are lines and moments in my films and books and future movies that will land poorly for some people or get people to hate me. That is your right. I have a right to do my own vision and hope it’s enough to get me to the next one."
In an interview with ''
The Daily Beast
''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008.
It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...
'', Zahler states that the intent of the film is not to address societal ills or invoke a provocation, but to explore "splitting hairs in terms of what the difference is" between the societal issues.
Zahler exemplifies Brett Ridgeman, one of the characters in the film, is "an embittered guy, not really happy with his station in life, and with a heavy hand, and doing some stuff that he shouldn’t be doing, and he’s suspended" and trying to get himself out of the hole that he dug with all of these mistakes.
Vince Vaughn
Vincent Anthony Vaughn (born March 28, 1970) is an American actor.
Vaughn began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 comedy-drama film '' Swingers''. He has appeared in ...
, who plays Brett's partner Anthony Lurasetti, states that ''Dragged Across Concrete'' is "not an agenda movie" but a morality tale.
''Dragged Across Concrete'' has
slice of life
Slice of life is a depiction of mundane experiences in art and entertainment. In theater, slice of life refers to naturalism, while in literary parlance it is a narrative technique in which a seemingly arbitrary sequence of events in a character ...
scenes not related to the plot progression, such as
Jennifer Carpenter's character Kelly Summer not wanting to leave her child for work, Vince Vaughn's character Anthony Lurasetti eating a sandwich in a car, and
Tory Kittles' character Henry Johns talking to
Michael Jai White's character "Biscuit" about their childhoods, and are some of Zahler's favorite scenes in the film.
Despite these scenes taking a lot of the running time in the film, Zahler believes that coupled with the atmosphere and the subsequent twists, the scenes result in the characters becoming more interesting than the plot.
Keith Kjarval of Unified Pictures produced the film along with Zahler and
Dallas Sonnier
Joseph Albert "Dallas" Sonnier IV (born March 31, 1980) is an American film producer, publisher, and entrepreneur. He is best known as the founder of Cinestate and, from 2018 to 2020, the publisher of ''Fangoria'' magazine. He has producing credi ...
of
Cinestate, Assemble Media's Jack Heller, and Sefton Fincham of Look to the Sky Films, with Kjarval's Unified Film Fund financing.
The project sought a distributor at the European Film Market at the
67th Berlin International Film Festival
The 67th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 9 to 18 February 2017 with Dutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven as President of the Jury. ''Django (2017 film), Django'', directed by Etienne Comar, opened the festival. The Golden Bear ...
in February 2017.
In May 2017,
Lionsgate
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...
acquired the US distribution rights to the film, and would release it through its subsidiary,
Summit Entertainment
Summit Entertainment is an American film production and distribution company. It is a label of Lionsgate Films, owned by Lionsgate Entertainment and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California.
History Independent era (1991–2012)
Summit E ...
.
Casting
Vince Vaughn starred in S. Craig Zahler's previous film ''
Brawl in Cell Block 99
''Brawl in Cell Block 99'' is a 2017 American neo-noir prison action thriller film directed and written by S. Craig Zahler and starring Vince Vaughn with Jennifer Carpenter, Don Johnson, Udo Kier, Marc Blucas, and Tom Guiry. The story follows ...
'' as the lead character Bradley Thomas. Vaughn gave the script of ''Dragged Across Concrete'' to
Mel Gibson
Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apocaly ...
, who worked with Vaughn in the 2016 film ''
Hacksaw Ridge
''Hacksaw Ridge'' is a 2016 biographical war film directed by Mel Gibson and written by Andrew Knight and Robert Schenkkan, based on the 2004 documentary ''The Conscientious Objector'' directed by Terry Benedict. The film focuses on the World Wa ...
'' as the film director, asking him to star in the film and recommended him to watch ''Brawl in Cell Block 99''.
Zahler was able to contact Gibson through Vaughn and hoped that he would star in the film.
On February 1, 2017, Gibson signed on to the film, with him and Vaughn starring as police officers that are suspended due to committing
police brutality
Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, ...
.
On August 2, 2017,
Jennifer Carpenter
Jennifer Carpenter is an American actress who is known for her role as Debra Morgan in the Showtime series '' Dexter'', for which she earned a Saturn Award in 2009, and also for playing Rebecca Harris in the CBS television series '' Limitless'' ...
and
Don Johnson
Donnie Wayne Johnson (born December 15, 1949) is an American actor, producer and singer. He played the role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s television series ''Miami Vice'', for which he won a Golden Globe, and received a Primetime Em ...
, who had worked with Zahler in ''Brawl in Cell Block 99'', signed onto the film, followed by
Tory Kittles
Tory Kittles is an American actor. He has appeared in the films ''Malibu's Most Wanted'' (2003), ''Get Rich or Die Tryin (2005), ''Next'' (2007), ''Miracle at St. Anna'' (2008), and ''Dragged Across Concrete'' (2018). He is known mostly for hi ...
,
Michael Jai White
Michael Jai White (born November 10, 1967) is an American actor, director and martial artist. He was the first African American to portray a major comic book superhero in a major motion picture, starring as Al Simmons, the protagonist in the 1997 ...
,
Tattiawna Jones
Tattiawna Jones is a Canadian television and theatre actress. She comes from Manitouwadge
Manitouwadge is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is located in the Thunder Bay District, at the north end of Highway 614, east of T ...
, and
Laurie Holden
Heather Laurie Holden (born December 17, 1969) is a Canadian-American actress, producer, and human rights activist, known for her roles as Marita Covarrubias in ''The X-Files'' (1996–2002), Adele Stanton in ''The Majestic (film), The Majestic' ...
.
Since Vaughn and Gibson are both well-known
conservatives
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
in Hollywood, ''
The Daily Beast
''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008.
It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...
'' claims this may hinder the financing of the film. However, Zahler believes they are the perfect match for their respective roles, and the studio is willing to give more funds to the film's production after Vaughn and Gibson's casting.
Zahler praised Gibson for his collaboration and acting in the film. Gibson previously played a police officer in the 1987 film ''
Lethal Weapon
''Lethal Weapon'' is a 1987 American buddy cop action comedy film directed and co-produced by Richard Donner, written by Shane Black, and co-produced by Joel Silver. It stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover alongside Gary Busey, Tom Atkins, Darle ...
'', but the film had no bearing on the script nor the casting changes of ''Dragged Across Concrete''.
Filming
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
on the film began in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, British Columbia on July 17, 2017
and wrapped on September 16, 2017. Zahler wants ''Dragged Across Concrete'' to be seen as realistic by the audience, filming an actual car collision on set for one of the scenes rather than supplemented in the editing room.
Shooting of the film is extremely challenging due to complex and dangerous stunts when filming a broken window, a car crash, or someone being shot.
''Dragged Across Concrete'' is less violent than Zahler's previous films ''
Bone Tomahawk
''Bone Tomahawk'' is a 2015 American Western film written and directed by S. Craig Zahler in his directorial debut. It stars Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, Richard Jenkins, Lili Simmons, Evan Jonigkeit, David Arquette, and Sid Haig ...
'' and ''
Brawl in Cell Block 99
''Brawl in Cell Block 99'' is a 2017 American neo-noir prison action thriller film directed and written by S. Craig Zahler and starring Vince Vaughn with Jennifer Carpenter, Don Johnson, Udo Kier, Marc Blucas, and Tom Guiry. The story follows ...
'' due to the difference in weapons and fighting styles utilized by the characters.
Music
The film's soundtrack was composed by
S. Craig Zahler
Steven Craig Zahler (born January 23, 1973) is an American film director, screenwriter, cinematographer, novelist, comic book artist, animator and musician.
After beginning his career working briefly as a cinematographer, Zahler focused on scre ...
and his friend Jeff Herriott, having previously worked together in ''Bone Tomahawk'' and ''Brawl in Cell Block 99''. The duo wrote several
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
pieces and recruiting the
rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...
group
The O'Jays
The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1958 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert, Walter Lee Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles. The O'Jays made their first chart appearance with the minor hi ...
to sing the songs.
Zahler was influenced by jazz musicians such as
Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians and ...
and
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of br ...
in creating the soundtrack.
Lakeshore Records
Lakeshore Entertainment Group, LLC is an American independent film production, finance, and former international sales and distribution company founded in 1994 by Tom Rosenberg and Ted Tannebaum (1933–2002). Lakeshore Entertainment is headquart ...
released the soundtrack on March 22, 2019, in
CD,
Digital
Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits.
Technology and computing Hardware
*Digital electronics, electronic circuits which operate using digital signals
**Digital camera, which captures and stores digital i ...
, and
Vinyl
Vinyl may refer to:
Chemistry
* Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer
* Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation
* Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry
* Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...
formats, which coincided with the release date of the film. Pat Padua of ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' called some of the music pieces "slightly jarring, but they contribute to a sense of reality that is at once familiar and unsettling."
Release
In May 2017,
Lionsgate
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...
acquired the US distribution rights to the film, and would release it through its subsidiary,
Summit Entertainment
Summit Entertainment is an American film production and distribution company. It is a label of Lionsgate Films, owned by Lionsgate Entertainment and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California.
History Independent era (1991–2012)
Summit E ...
.
The film's
world premiere
A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition.
A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its f ...
was at the
75th Venice International Film Festival
The 75th Venice International Film Festival was held from 29 August to 8 September 2018. Mexican film director Guillermo del Toro was named as the President of the Jury. '' First Man'', directed by Damien Chazelle, was selected to open the fest ...
on September 3, 2018. ''Dragged Across Concrete'' was then given a theatrical and
video on demand
Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of o ...
release in the United States on March 22, 2019.
''Dragged Across Concrete'' was released on
digital download,
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
and
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
disc in the United States under
Lionsgate Films
Lionsgate Films (formerly known as Cinépix Film Properties) is an American film production and film distribution studio, headquartered in Santa Monica and founded in Canada, and is the flagship division of Lionsgate Entertainment. It is the larg ...
on April 30, 2019, including two special features, a short featurette titled Moral Conflict: Creating Cinema That Challenges and a forty-minute 3-part featurette, Elements of a Crime.
Studio Canal
StudioCanal S.A.S. (formerly known as Le Studio Canal+, Canal Plus, Canal+ Distribution, Canal+ D.A., Canal+ Production, and Canal+ Image and also known as StudioCanal International) is a French film production and distribution company that owns ...
released it in the U.K. on August 19, 2019, across all three formats.
Critical response
''Dragged Across Concrete'' received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike, with praise directed towards Gibson's performance, worldbuilding, and the dark themes while criticism is directed towards the lengthy runtime and excessive violence. Reception was more polarized on the film's treatment on racism and police brutality, with some reviewers claiming the film endorses
right-wing
Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authorit ...
ideology.
On
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, ''Dragged Across Concrete'' holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's consensus reads, "As grim and grinding as its title, ''Dragged Across Concrete'' opts for slow-burning drama instead of high-speed thrills -- and has just the right cast to make it work." On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, the film has an average score of 60 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Kevin Maher
Kevin Andrew Maher (born 17 October 1976) is a former professional footballer and coach who played as a midfielder. He is head coach of National League side Southend United. Born in England, he represented the Republic of Ireland internationall ...
of ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'' gave the film four out of five stars, writing: "in this new, bleak and often unexpectedly grand genre movie (it’s essentially a buddy-cop flick, but with operatic ambitions), the thread out of place, both irritably scratching and strangely arresting, is Mel Gibson."
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw (born 19 June 1962) is a British writer and film critic. He has been chief film critic at ''The Guardian'' since 1999, and is a contributing editor at ''Esquire''.
Early life and education
Bradshaw was educated at Haberdashers ...
of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' also rated ''Dragged Across Concrete'' four out of five stars, stating: "this is a long film, but there is something so horribly compelling about its unhurried slouch towards the precipice." David Fear of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' awarded the film a three and a half out of five stars, praising Gibson's performance and the world-building: "''Dragged Across Concrete'' is apt to send crime-film fanatics, especially ones who prefer their pulp nasty, brutish and incredibly long, into frothing fits of glee." Kieran Fisher of
Film School Rejects
Film School Rejects is an American blog devoted to movie reviews, interviews, film industry news, and feature commentary. It was founded by Neil Miller in February 2006.
The site was nominated for Best News Blog by ''Total Film'' magazine and na ...
praised the dialogue interactions between the detectives, Kittles' performance, and Zahler's intention to challenge the moral position of the audience, while acknowledging that the film will attract controversy: "Still, if you just want to see a great crime epic that cares more about telling a great story than promoting an agenda, you’ll want to check out ''Dragged Across Concrete''. It’s going to be a contender for the best of 2019 when it’s all said and done, even if some viewers will feel guilty about enjoying it so much."
Armond White
Armond White (born ) is an American film and music critic who writes for ''National Review'' and ''Out''. He was previously the editor of '' CityArts'' (2011–2014), the lead film critic for the alternative weekly ''New York Press'' (1997–201 ...
of ''
National Review
''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief i ...
'' praised it as a conservative action film, writing that it "vividly conveys the feeling of suffering, bitterness, and struggle"; later rating it among the 20
best films of the decade.
Accolades
At the
40th Golden Raspberry Awards
The 40th Golden Raspberry Awards, or Razzies, was an awards ceremony that honored the worst the film industry had to offer in 2019. The awards are based on votes from members of the Golden Raspberry Foundation. The nominees were announced on Feb ...
, ''Dragged Across Concrete'' was nominated in a new category, "Worst Reckless Disregard for Human Life and Public Property." ''
WhatCulture
WhatCulture Ltd. is an online entertainment news website and magazine which was launched in 2010. The site offers news in the field of professional wrestling, television, films, video games, and board games.
History
Originally started by Peter ...
'' criticized the nomination, saying that "It feels as though voters just wanted to nominate ''
Joker'' for the enormous social media publicity it would generate, and then shaped a dubious awards category around it. ''Dragged Across Concrete'' is an even weirder pick, though, both because of its low-budget nature and the fact that there's not that much carnage in it.
Michael Bay
Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making big-budget, high-concept action films characterized by fast cutting, stylistic cinematography and visuals, and extensive use of ...
's ''
6 Underground'' is clearly a far worthier nominee than either of those films, given how much obvious human collateral damage is racked up amid the chaotic action sequences."
References
External links
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{{S. Craig Zahler
2018 films
American action thriller films
2018 action thriller films
Films shot in Vancouver
Summit Entertainment films
2010s heist films
American heist films
Films about organized crime in the United States
American neo-noir films
Films directed by S. Craig Zahler
2010s English-language films
2010s American films