There is something about British actor Idris Elba and his unique persona that draws him to Westerns and cowboy-type stories. Last time we saw him in a cowboy hat and holding twin revolvers was in the Stephen King's Western fantasy adaptation The Dark Tower (2017), Elba has two more Western-themed films scheduled this year, the action film The Harder They Fall where he plays an outlaw gunfighter opposite Jonathan Majors; and the latest Netflix release Concrete Cowboy, a high drama and coming of age film that takes place in the real-life urban cowboy community in a Philadelphia neighbourhood.
Directed by Ricky Staub and based on the novel Ghetto Cowboy by Gregory Neri, the appeal of a movie like Concrete Cowboy is much the same as Nomadland (2020), where we get to see up close a lesser-known subculture or community. In this case, it's about the actual Fletcher Street Stables, a black inner-city horsemanship organisation in Philadelphia, which has been around for more than a century. At the heart of Concrete Cowboy is a father-son drama that has its moments, but unfortunately, those moments are smothered by the all-too familiar scenarios and predictable plot.
The film follows the life of Cole, played by Caleb McLaughlin (Stranger Things), a 15-year-old troublemaker who's expelled from a high school in Detroit. His frustrated mum decides to send him to North Philadelphia to live with his estranged father Harp (Elba), who leads the cowboys of Fletcher Street Stables. Harp lets his son learn a life lesson the rough way where he's got to adapt to this new life quickly. Cole finds himself caught between his growing respect for his father's vibrant urban community, and his re-emerging friendship with childhood buddy Smush (Jharrel Jerome) who invites him into the darker side of the streets.
The film is nicely shot and the cinematography romanticises the otherwise impoverished North Philadelphia neighbourhood. The score and soundtrack also fit really well with the story. Philadelphia is such a diverse city. It was fascinating to learn about the Fletcher Street cowboys and to see a city block where there are horses "parked" on one side of the street and cars parked on the other. I also liked that the film focuses on the forgotten history of black cowboys.
However, the plot point of Concrete Cowboy is so predictable that you probably have seen this type of drama many times before. You have a troubled person who gets put into a situation that is foreign to them, forcing them to run from the situation, or to make life changes along the way. Then there are also more experienced people that offer wisdom and new perspectives, which make the troubled person rethink their life trajectory. The cast members are what sells the story, and the dialogue between the characters is pretty powerful at times. McLaughlin gives a solid performance as Cole, and if he wanted to move away from Stranger Things, this movie proves he can play drama very well and can tackle adult roles. The bond between Harp and Cole is believable, and both actors have great chemistry as father and son. The director also made the smart move by casting some of the actual Fletcher Street Stable people as part of the cast. Their inclusion adds an air of authenticity to the story and film.
While the concept as a whole is interesting, I wish the key father and son drama had been just as interesting. Unfortunately, there isn't enough to keep viewers engaged. Concrete Cowboy doesn't dive deep enough into the characters or community to give enough satisfaction with this story. The movie gets bogged down by the troubled son's negative lifestyle, making it too derivative of the overdone, cliched Boyz N The Hood narrative.
Ultimately, Concrete Cowboy has great intentions and has all the bones of something special, but doesn't live up to what it could have been. I saw what the film was trying to do, but it doesn't go that extra mile to flesh out its characters as well as the story, resulting in an underwhelming and forgettable film.
- Concrete Cowboy
- Starring Idris Elba, Caleb McLaughlin, Jharrel Jerome
- Directed by Ricky Staub
- Now streaming on Netflix
