• Consequence
  • Music
  • Film
  • TV
  • Heavy
Menu Consequence
Menu Shop Search Newsletter
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Live
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Cover Story
Advertisement
  • Film
  • Film Reviews

Concrete Cowboy Rides Into a Summer of Predictability: Review

Idris Elba is completely wasted in Ricky Staub's agreeable coming-of-age drama

Concrete Cowboy Rides Into a Summer of Predictability: Review
C+

Directed by

  • Ricky Staub

Release Date

  • April 2, 2021

Cast

  • Idris Elba, Caleb McLaughlin, Jharrel Jerome, Method Man

Studio

  • Netflix

Where to Stream

  • Netflix
Advertisement
Jesse Hassenger
April 2, 2021 | 11:08am ET

    The Pitch: Idris Elba has the gravity and laconic cool to make a great cowboy, and clearly Netflix knows this. Before the star-studded Western The Harder They Fall arrives later this year, though, Elba is saddling up for a less traditional take on the genre.

    Enter Concrete Cowboy. Based on Gregory Neri’s 2009 novel Ghetto Cowboy, the coming-of-age story follows Cole (Caleb McLaughlin), a troubled teenager who’s been sent to stay with his father Harp (Elba) in North Philadelphia for the summer.

    Harp, as we learn, is involved with a group of Black cowpokes who ride and tend to a stable of horses in the city. Cole takes a liking to this club, but also can’t shake his loyalty to an old friend who sees drug-dealing as his ticket out of the neighborhood.

    Advertisement
    Related Video

    This may sound mildly outlandish, but it’s based on a real Philly subculture: the Fletcher Street Stables. The Staples are the basis for both the aforementioned novel and this adaptation, which casts real Fletcher Street riders in supporting roles.

    All the Pretty Horses: Concrete Cowboy looks great. First-time director Ricky Staub and cinematographer Minka Farthing-Kohl make the most of the movie’s juxtaposition of urban landscapes with dusky Western imagery, which vaguely recalls the post-industrial decay of David Gordon Green. They bring out the greens, browns, and shadows of North Philadelphia, and some of the sights, like the horse Harp keeps in his slightly dilapidated house, have a tinge of magical realism, despite the real-life inspiration. But if the visuals tend toward poetry, the rest of the movie is disappointingly prosaic.

    Concrete Cowboy (Netflix)

    Advertisement

    Flat as the Plains:“Horses ain’t the only thing that need breakin’ around here.” That’s a line from early in Concrete Cowboy, signaling how much of the movie’s tone will be dominated by young-adult life-lesson boilerplate. The movie addresses topics like wayward youth, whitewashing of history, and gentrification — mostly by having the characters talk about them directly and clumsily.

    Yet, for all of its willingness to bring up these tough subjects, Concrete Cowboy doesn’t ask many questions about the sustainability of its centerpiece urban-cowboy lifestyle. This, in turn, makes Cole’s feelings of conflict between the cowboy life and Smush’s criminal ambitions feel all the more canned, especially with the movie’s tendency toward heavy-handed foreshadowing.

    Even worse, the writing also neutralizes Elba. The film’s exposition-heavy approach means he gets one big backstory-spilling monologue. Sure, the scene is well-acted, but it still plays like a missed opportunity for such a major talent.

    Advertisement

    Concrete Cowboy (Netflix)

    Don’t Fence Me In: In the second half of the film, there’s a scene where a horse gets loose from the Fletcher Street stables, running around an old baseball diamond, and the cowboys band together to calm it down and bring it back home.

    For a few minutes, the movie’s imagery, immediacy, and intimacy all come together. And it happens again during a celebratory horse race done up in full Fast and Furious style. If only these moments came more frequently — or felt more sustained.

    Advertisement

    More often than not, Staub walks them back into predictability.

    What's Streaming on Netflix in April 2021
    Editor's Pick
    What’s Streaming on Netflix in April 2021

    The Verdict: Concrete Cowboy is visually engaging, and might appeal to younger teenagers (its R-rating is primarily for language). But anyone already familiar with the dynamics of summer-vacation character-building may find it unsatisfying—even unconvincing.

    Where’s It Playing? Concrete Cowboy is out now via Netflix.

    Trailer:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit

More on this topic

  • Caleb McLaughlin
  • Drama
  • Idris Elba
  • Netflix

Sign up for updates

Subscribe to our email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox.

Advertisement

Popular Stories

danny masterson found guilty innocent tk rape retrial

TV

Danny Masterson Found Guilty in Rape Retrial

taylor swift post-concert amnesia fans swifties eras tour live music pop news wtf

Music

Taylor Swift "The Eras Tour" Attendees Report Experiencing "Post-Concert Amnesia"

Advertisement

The Good Times 4g Premium Flower Jar is Here! Shop now.

The Good Times 4g Premium Flower Jar is Here! Shop now.

Guns N' Roses 2023 support acts and new dates

Heavy Consequence

Guns N' Roses Tap Alice in Chains, Pretenders, Carrie Underwood as 2023 Tour Support, Add New Dates

Robert De Niro and Al Pacino

Pop Culture

Al Pacino, 83, Confirms His Girlfriend is Pregnant

Latest Stories

A-
Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse Review

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Review: A Dizzying, Dazzling Feat of Animation

May 31, 2023

B+
You Hurt My Feelings Review

Julia Louis-Dreyfus Learns the Cost of Honesty in the Hilarious You Hurt My Feelings: Review

May 26, 2023

B-
Little Mermaid Review Live Action

The Little Mermaid Review: A Story About Mermaids and Magic Doesn't Need a Grounded Touch

May 22, 2023

B-
Master Gardener Review Paul Schrader

Paul Schrader's Master Gardener Treads Very Familiar Soil: Review

May 19, 2023

B-
Fast X Review Vin Diesel

Fast X Seems Exhausted by Trying to Top Itself: Review

May 17, 2023

B+
blackberry-jay-baruchel

BlackBerry Review: A True-Life Cautionary Tale, Told in the Style of Succession

May 12, 2023

C+
hypnotic-ben-affleck-2

Hypnotic Is a 2000s-Era Popcorn Flick, For Better and For Worse: Review

May 12, 2023

B
Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Review

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Review: James Gunn's MCU Farewell Packs a Dark, but Heartfelt Punch

April 28, 2023

Advertisement

News

  • Music
  • New Music
  • Album Streams
  • Upcoming Releases
  • Tours
  • Film
  • TV
  • Pop Culture

Reviews

  • Music Reviews
  • Film Reviews
  • TV Reviews
  • Concert Reviews
  • Festival Reviews

Features

  • Editorials
  • Interviews
  • Cover Stories
  • Lists
  • Guides
  • CoSign
  • Song of the Week

Live

  • Tickets
  • Festival News
  • Tour Dates
  • Photo Galleries
  • Music Instruments & Gear

Heavy

  • News
  • Interviews
  • Concerts

More

  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Wellness
  • Giveaways

Other sites

  • Heavy Consequence
  • Consequence Media
  • Modern Drummer
  • About
  • Privacy policy
  • Advertising
  • Work For Us
  • Terms
  • Contact
  • Copyright
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information

Download our app

  • Get it on the App Store
  • Get it on Google Play
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitch
  • Tiktok
Consequence
Current story

Concrete Cowboy Rides Into a Summer of Predictability: Review

Menu Shop Search Newsletter
Consequence
News
  • News
  • Music
  • New Music
  • Album Streams
  • Upcoming Releases
  • Tours
  • Film
  • TV
  • Pop Culture
Reviews
  • Music Reviews
  • Film Reviews
  • TV Reviews
  • Concert Reviews
  • Festival Reviews
Features
  • All Features
  • Editorials
  • Interviews
  • Cover Stories
  • Lists
  • Guides
  • CoSign
  • Song of the Week
Live
  • Tickets
  • Festival News
  • Tour Dates
  • Photo Galleries
  • Music Instruments & Gear
Podcasts
  • The Opus
  • Kyle Meredith With...
  • Stanning BTS
  • The Story Behind the Song
  • The What
  • Going There with Dr. Mike
  • The Rome and Duddy Show
Videos
  • Interviews
  • Two for the Road
  • First Time I Heard
  • When I Made
  • Battle of the Bandmates
  • Peer 2 Peer
  • Essays
  • Fan Theories
Heavy
  • News
  • Interviews
  • Concerts
  • Premieres
  • Culture
  • Beyond the Boys Club
  • Mining Metal
Shop
  • Shop
  • Giveaways
Hometowns

Follow Consequence

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitch
  • Tiktok
Close
Close
 

Loading Comments...