Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Mel Gibson, Vince Vaughn, Tory Kittles, Michael Jai White, Thomas Kretschmann, Jennifer Carpenter, Laurie Holden, Don Johnson, Udo Kier, Fred Malamed, Justine Warrington.
Robbery against the large faceless institutions, unlike murder, is one when presented in either fact or fiction produces a dichotomy of feelings for the average person, on one hand is rejoiced as a blow against the system which will happily see all bend under the strain of financial constraint whilst those that impose economic sanctions continue to thrive and prosper, on the other hand, the moral indignation takes hold and inside asks what makes such actions necessary, why should a thief get away with their actions when all the rest of society behaves and hopes for better days.
It is in the act of being Dragged Across Concrete in which you understand the pain of not being able to stand up and account for yourself, where you are tied to a moving vehicle and suffer the agony of the bumps, the grit that gets into cuts and wounds in your skin and slashes at your resolve, to the point where the punishment to stop is beyond begging, it is a matter of life and death.
The very existence of Dragged Across Concrete is a testament to S. Craig Zahler’s vision as both writer and director of the film, in much the same way that Bone Tomahawk stood out for its narrative, so too does this Vince Vaughn, Mel Gibson led insight into the blurred lines of corruption and necessity.
Tory Kittles is exceptional as the recently released prisoner Henry Johns, the nature of the character’s complex personality, of wanting the best for his disabled brother and drug-addicted prostitute mother is admirable and whilst the motives for being involved with the crime being planned, it is understandable that such actions would be undertaken; and whilst Jennifer Carpenter’s character is only used for a short time on screen, her presence within the film as the new mum experiencing post-natal separation issues, is exceptional.
A society is only as good as those that protect it, when the thin line breaks, bends or even becomes distorted where you can visibly see the blur and pain of suffering on both sides of the divide, that is the point in which society is no longer under the illusion of the fantasy created by those who seek to control. Dragged Across Concrete is a film which displays the pertinent question before the audience as if in the form of physical evidence, what would you be prepared to do to protect those that you love and what lines will you cross to preserve your principles?
A film that never releases its firm grip or intention to haul itself through the painstaking disclosure of building evidence or the specific procedure into which rules of society can be broken, Dragged Across Concrete is firm and resolute in its aligning itself within the Noir genre boundaries.
Ian D. Hall