Dragged Across Concrete

S. Craig Zahler has the audience, as well as his characters, absolutely in the palm of his hand from the beginning and does absolutely whatever he wants with them. While the characters have no choice but to struggle, we have no choice but to watch because it's that great. Grim atmosphere, unexpected situations, impeccable actors led by Mel Gibson in his best role since Signs... As far as violence goes, it's not quite as murderous as Brawl in Cell Block 99, but the tension and pervasive bleakness make up for it all. However Zahler does it, he's once again written and directed one of those films that people call unforgettable. (26/01/2020)

Two cops are suspended for six weeks. They need money and are angry, so they decide to rob a gang that is planning a big heist, but things go a bit wrong. S. Craig Zahler is still as uncompromising, surprising and unpleasant with his third film. And even though we already know what to expect from his stories, this time he manages to shock and unsettle and is as cruel to his audience as he is to his heroes. Fans of the director will not be disappointed by his new film, because this is exactly what we wanted to see from him. (25/03/2019)

A noir version of Lethal Weapon, a film with a complex script and many characters, yet intelligible, dark, cynical and cruel. From a director who is not afraid to go beyond the edge of standards and in a sense does absolutely what he wants, creating a new subgenre – a dark alternative to Tarantino's films, where the dialogue passages are also often ridiculously over the top. A film from a different era with distinctive qualities, yet perhaps too long. (13/04/2019)

For me, S. Craig Zahler has become something a newly emerged American filmmaker, whose every next film in an incredible experience. This is the third time I meet with his craft, and it is once again the case. The precise dialogues might be not as filled with pop-cultural references as those in Tarantino’s movies, but they are wonderfully on point. Add in the brutality that doesn’t pull any punches. At the same time, it makes you wonder how far a film can go and not to cross the line. Here there’s at least one scene that crosses it, and I think the director likes to include something like this in his every movie. Moreover, it is interesting that he makes his movies based on his own script and uses his own music as accompaniment; he might be something of a genius. Moreover, the movie features the perfect duo of Gibson and Vaugh, who look like a throwback to the 1990s. Simply fantastic, what can I say. Had ti been a bit shorter, I’d have given it five stars. I understand that the director made some scenes longer on purpose for the atmosphere, but sometimes it was too much. Anyhow, it remains a decent action movie, one of the most distinctive ones in the recent years. (13/08/2019)

Dragged Across Concrete is another good film by Zahler that may lack the shocking scope of his previous gem and some scenes look as if the talented filmmaker was trying too hard to improve and rip himself off, but patient viewers will not regret the time spent in the company of this mesmeric director’s vision. Pushing your expectations to heavenly heights would be a mistake, but it would be even worse to overlook this old-school and yet original and distinctive piece of craftsmanship. Personally, I will gladly go back to it. (27/03/2019)