Dragged Across Concrete

Dragged Across Concrete is a 2018 American neo-noir crime thriller film written and directed by S. Craig Zahler. It stars an ensemble cast that includes Mel Gibson, Vince Vaughn, Tory Kittles, Michael Jai White, Jennifer Carpenter, Laurie Holden, Fred Melamed, Udo Kier, Thomas Kretschmann, and Don Johnson. The story follows two childhood friends and two police detectives who are suspended for police brutality who in a desperate need for money, are embroiled in a robbery done by a professional thief. Zahler started working on Dragged Across Concrete right after he finished development of his previous film Brawl in Cell Block 99, which also starred Vaughn, Carpenter, and Johnson. Vaughn recommended Zahler to Gibson, who he previously worked with in Hacksaw Ridge, and Gibson agreed to star in the film, later followed by Kittles and White. Filming took place in Vancouver, British Columbia between July and September 2017 under a production budget of $15 million. It premiered at the 75th Venice International Film Festival on September 3, 2018, and received a limited theatrical and video-on-demand simultaneous release from Summit Entertainment on March 22, 2019. It was met with a mixed to positive critical reception, with praise directed toward Gibson's performance as well as its dark setting and themes; although it was criticized for its lengthy runtime, excessive violence, and what some critics perceived as right-wing bias due to its treatment on racism and police brutality. The film received several nominations at the 45th Saturn Awards, but was also shortlisted for "Worst Reckless Disregard for Human Life and Public Property" at the 40th Golden Raspberry Awards. Plot In the fictional city of Bulwark, recent parolee Henry Johns chastises his mother for returning to prostitution and taking drugs, before reuniting with his handicapped younger brother Ethan.