Dragged Across Concrete

Released at the end of March on VOD and on Blu-ray less than two months later, "Dragged Across Concrete" had quite the interesting release scheme. It only played in a couple of theaters in major markets, like NY and LA. And, weirdly enough, writer/director S. Craig Zahler's prior films got similar treatment. If anything, I guess that speaks to the viability of a limited theatrical and same-day VOD release for the film to find an audience in an already-cluttered release schedule. No matter what you think about the film, it's an uncompromising look at criminal acts colliding with each other to produce an engaging narrative.

Brett Ridgeman (Mel Gibson) and Anthony Lurasetti (Vince Vaughn) are two cops in the city of Bulwark trying to find ways to provide for their families after getting suspended from the force. That suspension came after they beat up a perpetrator far more than they should have. On the other side of town, Henry Johns (Tory Kittles) just got out of prison and is looking for a way to provide for his family. The two arcs converge after a bank robbery goes terribly awry. Forced into a standoff with sadistic criminals, Ridgeman and Lurasetti quickly get in over their heads.

What this Blu-ray release from Lionsgate (and any other digital copy of the film) properly showcases is Zahler's penchant for composing widescreen and master shots in a way that puts other current filmmakers to shame. The camera very rarely moves to scan across a frame or focus in on a close-up. But when the camera does move, it's for a reason that serves the story rather than some kind of mindless character movement.

What really stuck out to me on my third watch is the distinct color palette that Zahler employs. Bulwark is a fictional city that's kind of a mashup of a few metropolitan settings in which such a plot would make sense to take place in. "Dragged Across Concrete" feels ripped from comic books not because of its incidents, but because of the dialogue and settings. It's in a fictional world that allows for the hardboiled dialogue to hit harder than it would if it were played as some gritty action drama that takes place in Chicago, NYC, Boston, or some other, similar city.

The extras on this Blu-ray will definitely reward those interested in Zahler's process behind the camera and with scriptwriting. In "Elements of a Crime," a three-part documentary, the featurette goes into depth about the director's relationship with his cinematographer and if the film allows for improvisation. And in "Moral Conflict: Creating Cinema that Challenges," you get a brief defense of the film's insistence on touching upon current societal ills by some of the cast. Definitely pick this up if you're already a fan of the film or have any interest in it.

"Dragged Across Concrete"
Lionsgate Blu-ray
$22.99
https://www.lionsgate.com/movies/dragged-across-concrete