With strong violence, grisly images, language, and nudity, one wonders if is this the same Mel Gibson that did the Jesus film!
Dragged Across Concrete is a gripping and intense film that explores the dark and gritty underworld of crime. Directed by S. Craig Zahler and released in 2018, the movie has a runtime of 2 hours and 39 minutes, and is rated R for its strong violence, grisly images, language, and some sexuality/nudity. The movie stars Mel Gibson, Vince Vaughn, Tory Kittles, Michael Jai White, Jennifer Carpenter, and Laurie Holden.
The film follows the story of two policemen, one an old-timer, Brett Ridgeman (Gibson), and the other his volatile younger partner, Anthony Lurasetti (Vaughn). The duo finds themselves suspended from the police force after a video of their strong-arm tactics becomes the media’s cause du jour. Low on cash and with no other options, these two embittered soldiers descend into the criminal underworld to gain their just due, but instead find far more than they bargained for in the shadows.
The movie has an offbeat, violent, film noir feel to it, with elements of suspense, action, and drama that keep the viewers on the edge of their seats. One of the most intense and graphic scenes in the movie is when a man takes a big knife to a corpse to find a key that the guy swallowed before they shot him. There are many ways to shoot that scene, but Zahler chooses the most graphic one, which adds to the movie’s overall intensity.
The film takes place in the fictional city of Bulwark, where recent parolee Henry Johns (played by Tory Kittles) reunites with his handicapped younger brother Ethan (played by Tattiawna Jones). Henry chastises his mother for returning to prostitution and taking drugs, but despite his efforts to live a crime-free life, he finds himself drawn into the criminal underworld, where he crosses paths with Ridgeman and Lurasetti.
Dragged Across Concrete is a movie that’s not for the faint of heart. It’s brutal!
