Some really brutal stuff here. The dialogue was weird, the characters were interesting, the acting was top notch, the pacing was slow, the cinematography was standard, and the story original. But all of that still somehow adds up to an amazing film and a fresh of breath air. I suggest it to anyone who likes cops/thriller/hist films. My only real complain was that they under used Jennifer Carpenter! She was amazing in this, and sad. Just a fair warning, things get violent and bloody so if you have a weak stomach might not be for you. But thats to be expected from the guy that brought us Bone Tomahawk. I really nice surprise and a treat seeing Gibson back at it again! A solid 7/10.
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Reply by northcoast
on March 24, 2019 at 8:48 AM
Thank you, OddRob, for bringing this film to my (and others) attention. I've never heard of this project. It is not showing in my area at present, and it looks like it might be a limited release*, but I'll keep my eyes open for it and will probably give it a rent on disk if I can't catch it in a theater (I am fortunate to have a well-stocked Family Video in my town).
I've enjoyed Gibson's gritty films of the recent past-- such as Edge of Darkness and Get the Gringo --and Dragged Across Concrete looks to be in the same vein. Thanks again for your short review.
*: or it could just be because I live in the "flyover" part of the U.S.; we often only get the big releases in the theaters, while we get mostly passed by when it comes to smaller films :(
Reply by OddRob
on March 25, 2019 at 11:18 PM
Its on VOD so you should be able to find it online no problem. Gibson is def on top of his game with this one, even if the dialogue is written a little weird.
Reply by northcoast
on March 26, 2019 at 4:12 AM
Oh, I forgot one . . . Blood Father was also good (in my opinion). Thank you for the VOD suggestion.
Reply by Markoff
on April 4, 2019 at 4:10 PM
it was nice movie for me personally with kinda similar feel as Good time, but they killed it with pace, could easily cut half an hour and it would still won't be rushed, still prefer Good time over this
Reply by D-magic
on April 6, 2019 at 9:44 PM
Not as good as previous films, but still very good. Looking forward for the next one.
Reply by Jacinto Cupboard
on November 5, 2020 at 8:00 PM
I realise you are being facetious, but the callouts to events in Gibson's real life in this movie, specifically the dialogue with Don Johnson's character, are cringeworthy. It was entirely unnecessary to the story and I for one would have preferred less of this self indulgent 'fleshing out' of the characters rather than more.
As for the back stories of the characters, this is Zahler (somewhat artlessly) mining tropes. The cop nearing retirement flipping to support his struggling family; the younger cop killed after he has bought the engagement ring; the new mum killed on her first day back at work; the 'urban' black gangsta coming out of prison going after that one last heist that will set him and his family for life; the sociopathic hitman who kills as tho he is just out for a fun afternoon; the heavily accented foreign mastermind who is not only a master criminal but an accomplished anatomist: it just goes on and tediously on.
I don't know whether Zahler is trying to be funny with all this stuff, and I could add 'anchovies' and a 2 minute burger eating scene and the bonkers dialogue to this, but it certainly isn't funny. It reeks of a smart arse writer thinking he knows enough about movies to be able to homage (or parody) them, but only succeeds in looking like a show off.