Concrete Cowboy: Difference between revisions
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==Plot== |
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Cole is a 15-year-old boy from Detroit who is always getting in trouble at school, so his mom drives him to Philadelphia to live with his estranged father, Harp. She drops him off on the [[North Philadelphia]] block where Harp lives and quickly drives away. One of the neighbors recognizes Cole and tells him that his father is at the stables. When Harp brings him inside his house, Cole finds a horse standing in the living room and the fridge and cupboards empty. He says he's only going to stay one night. The next day when he's trying to call his mom, he runs into |
Cole is a 15-year-old boy from Detroit who is always getting in trouble at school, so his mom drives him to Philadelphia to live with his estranged father, Harp. She drops him off on the [[North Philadelphia]] block where Harp lives and quickly drives away. One of the neighbors recognizes Cole and tells him that his father is at the stables. When Harp brings him inside his house, Cole finds a horse standing in the living room and the fridge and cupboards empty. He says he's only going to stay one night. The next day when he's trying to call his mom, he runs into his older cousin Smush, who drives him around and gets him some food. Smush drops him off at Harps the next morning, but he won't let Cole inside because he's been hanging out with Smush, who is involved in drug dealing. He decides to sleep in a stall the stables. |
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In the morning he tells the other riders that he wants to learn how to ride, and they tell him that he first must help with the stable work. He spends the day shoveling manure, and learns that the stall he'd slept in the night before was with a horse named Boo, which no one has been able to tame. He continues spending time at the stables |
In the morning he tells the other riders that he wants to learn how to ride, and they tell him that he first must help with the stable work. He spends the day shoveling manure, and learns that the stall he'd slept in the night before was with a horse named Boo, which no one has been able to tame. He continues spending time at the stables and secretly with Smush as well. Harp has a surprise for Paris, one of the riders who uses a wheelchair. They all visit an empty lot where Harp reveals a special saddle that allows Paris to once again ride a horse. At the sight of it, Cole gets upset and heads back to Harp's house. Harp finds him there, and they get into an argument: Cole feels like Harp gives love to everyone except him. Harp tells him that he used to be involved in drug dealing too, and went to prison before Cole was born. He gave his son the name Cole after the jazz musician [[John Coltrane]], another Philadelphia native who had grown up to be one of the greatest musicians, even without a father, because he wanted his son to be able to succeed as well. |
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Cole learns from Smush that he used to be a rider, too, but began dealing drugs in order to save up money to buy a ranch [[Western United States|out West]]. One night Boo gets loose and the riders find him in a neighborhood baseball field. They surround him, and Harp tells Cole that he's the only one who can get Boo to calm down. Cole hesitantly approaches and is able to throw the reins over Boo mount him. |
Cole learns from Smush that he used to be a rider, too, but began dealing drugs in order to save up money to buy a ranch [[Western United States|out West]]. One night Boo gets loose and the riders find him in a neighborhood baseball field. They surround him, and Harp tells Cole that he's the only one who can get Boo to calm down. Cole hesitantly approaches and is able to throw the reins over Boo mount him. |
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Revision as of 20:15, 14 April 2021
| Concrete Cowboy | |
|---|---|
 Official promotional poster | |
| Directed by | Ricky Staub |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Based on | Ghetto Cowboy by Greg Neri |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Minka Farthing-Kohl |
| Edited by | Luke Ciarrocchi |
| Music by | Kevin Matley |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | Netflix |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 111 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | ~$10 million[2] |
Concrete Cowboy is a 2020 American Western drama film directed by Ricky Staub from a screenplay by Staub and Dan Walser. Its story is based upon the novel Ghetto Cowboy by Greg Neri, which is a fictionalization of the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club, an urban African-American horseriding culture in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The film stars Idris Elba, Caleb McLaughlin, Jharrel Jerome, Byron Bowers, Lorraine Toussaint and Clifford "Method Man" Smith.
Concrete Cowboy had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2020, and was digitally released on Netflix on April 2, 2021.[3]
Plot
Cole is a 15-year-old boy from Detroit who is always getting in trouble at school, so his mom drives him to Philadelphia to live with his estranged father, Harp. She drops him off on the North Philadelphia block where Harp lives and quickly drives away. One of the neighbors recognizes Cole and tells him that his father is at the stables. When Harp brings him inside his house, Cole finds a horse standing in the living room and the fridge and cupboards empty. He says he's only going to stay one night. The next day when he's trying to call his mom, he runs into his older cousin Smush, who drives him around and gets him some food. Smush drops him off at Harps the next morning, but he won't let Cole inside because he's been hanging out with Smush, who is involved in drug dealing. He decides to sleep in a stall the stables.
In the morning he tells the other riders that he wants to learn how to ride, and they tell him that he first must help with the stable work. He spends the day shoveling manure, and learns that the stall he'd slept in the night before was with a horse named Boo, which no one has been able to tame. He continues spending time at the stables and secretly with Smush as well. Harp has a surprise for Paris, one of the riders who uses a wheelchair. They all visit an empty lot where Harp reveals a special saddle that allows Paris to once again ride a horse. At the sight of it, Cole gets upset and heads back to Harp's house. Harp finds him there, and they get into an argument: Cole feels like Harp gives love to everyone except him. Harp tells him that he used to be involved in drug dealing too, and went to prison before Cole was born. He gave his son the name Cole after the jazz musician John Coltrane, another Philadelphia native who had grown up to be one of the greatest musicians, even without a father, because he wanted his son to be able to succeed as well.
Cole learns from Smush that he used to be a rider, too, but began dealing drugs in order to save up money to buy a ranch out West. One night Boo gets loose and the riders find him in a neighborhood baseball field. They surround him, and Harp tells Cole that he's the only one who can get Boo to calm down. Cole hesitantly approaches and is able to throw the reins over Boo mount him.
Smush and Cole set up a drug deal that goes bad, and another local drug dealer tries to kidnap Smush. The cops appear and begin chasing Smush and Cole, but they manage to escape. Smush says that they're so close to having enough money to move West, but Cole expresses that he is done with that life. At the stables, Animal Control has arrived to seize all the horses due to neighbor complaints. Harp says there's nothing they can do, and Cole calls him a coward. He decides to return to Smush, and they go out on another drug deal. Smush gets shot, and Cole runs.
Harv goes looking for Cole, and eventually finds him hiding in the stables. He washes the blood off Cole's hands, and tells him they need to give Smush a proper memorial. That night they break into the municipal stables where their horses are being kept, and free them all. Everyone rides their horses slowly through the neighborhood to Smush's grave, where Cole places a pair of cowboy boots on the dirt. He stands on the back of his horse for the first time.
Not long afterward, they all watch as the stables are demolished, but Harp says they will keep riding even without their stables. Cole's mom returns to Philadelphia, and Harp thanks her for sending Cole to live with him.
Cast
- Caleb McLaughlin as Cole
- Idris Elba as Harp
- Jharrel Jerome as Smush
- Byron Bowers as Rome
- Lorraine Toussaint as Nessie
- Clifford "Method Man" Smith as Leroy
- Ivannah-Mercedes as Esha
- Devenie Young as Trina
- Peter Shields and Aidan White as the Drug Deal Buyers
Production
In August 2019, it was announced that Idris Elba, Caleb McLaughlin, Jharrel Jerome, Lorraine Toussaint, Byron Bowers and Method Man had joined the cast of the film, with Ricky Staub directing in his feature film directorial debut from a screenplay by himself and Dan Wasler based upon the novel Ghetto Cowboy by Greg Neri. Elba and Lee Daniels served as producers on the film.[4][5][6] The role of Amahle was originally written to be a drug addict, and when Liz Priestley auditioned for the role she built up a few days of sleep deprivation to make her performance believable. The character was later rewritten to be a nurse.[7]
Filming began in North Philadelphia in August 2019.[8] Staub originally got the idea for the film after seeing a man riding a horse down a Philadelphia street, which led him to research the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club and the discovery of Neri's book.[9]
Release
The film was set to have its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival in September 2020, prior to its cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10] Its world premiere was then held at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2020.[11] In October 2020, Netflix acquired distribution rights to the film for a release in 2021.[12] In March 2021, it was announced that the film will be released on April 2, 2021.
Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 78% based on 103 reviews, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Well-acted and solidly directed, Concrete Cowboy lassos old-fashioned uplift with its story of a father and son in a little-seen corner of American culture."[13] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 67 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[14]
References
- ^ "Concrete Cowboy". Toronto International Film Festival. Archived from the original on August 31, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ "Films Hit Festivals Trying to Create Buzz Without a Crowd". New York Times. September 12, 2020. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- ^ "Netflix's 'Concrete Cowboy' Sets April 2021 Release Date". What's on Netflix. March 5, 2021. Archived from the original on April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (August 9, 2018). "Idris Elba Sets 'Ghetto Cowboy' as Next Film". Variety. Archived from the original on August 13, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- ^ Fleming Jr, Mike (August 8, 2019). "Idris Elba, Stranger Things' 'Caleb McLaughlin To Star In 'Concrete Cowboys'". Deadline. Archived from the original on August 15, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (August 23, 2019). "Method Man Joins 'Waldo' and Action-Thriller 'Concrete Cowboys'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^ Harden, Brandon (September 15, 2020). "Hollywood is talking about this film shot in Philly last summer". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
- ^ Vadala, Nick (August 9, 2019). "Idris Elba spotted training for new movie, 'Concrete Cowboys,' in Strawberry Mansion". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on August 13, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- ^ Fiorillo, Victor (August 9, 2019). "Check Out These Photos of Idris Elba Riding a Horse in Philly". Philadelphia Magazine. Archived from the original on April 2, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- ^ Keegan, Rebecca (August 3, 2020). "Inside the Telluride Film Festival That Would Have Been". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (June 24, 2020). "Toronto Film Festival Reveals Plan For Slimline 2020 Edition With Mix Of Physical & Digital Screenings; Kate Winslet, Idris Elba & Mark Wahlberg Movies Among First Wave". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
- ^ Kit, Borys (October 26, 2020). "Netflix Picks Up Idris Elba Drama 'Concrete Cowboy' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Concrete Cowboy (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on March 16, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
- ^ "Concrete Cowboy Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
