Mel’s Back!
Review by Ray Schillaci
There is no discounting the genius of Mel Gibson. The man is a brilliant director and actor. No one ever did battle scenes the way Mel did until Braveheart. The man can play funny as well as dramatic as has been demonstrated in the line of Lethal Weapon movies. He’s also every bit the bad-ass on film Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson were in their day, as proved with the hardcore Payback and Get the Gringo, two of my favorite Mel films.
Line the man up with the bleak and hardened vision of S. Craig Zahler and partner him with Vince Vaughn, the men who brought back the infamous ’70s feel with Brawl in Cell Block 99, and we may have one of the most notable tough guy films in years. S. Craig Zahler’s new film title says it all: Dragged Across Concrete. This guy shows no mercy with his audience. Your left exhausted from his unwavering vision, first noted in Bone Tomahawk.
That was the year we had two Kurt Russell films, Tarantino’s Hateful Eight and Zahler’s Bone Tomahawk. As much as I love Tarantino films, I found Zahler’s western grittier and more powerful. But, it was also a little much for fans of older westerns due to the violent content which shocked many people. Not to say Tarantino’s film was a walk in the park, but Zahler had us gasping and chased some people out of the theater. Those that stayed, experienced the kind of western that we haven’t seen since the days of Sam Peckinpaw (The Wild Bunch, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid).
Last year’s Brawl in Cell Block 99 gave us a Vince Vaughn that we’ve never seen before. Yes, he’s played tough guy roles before, but Vaughn’s convict, Bradley Thomas, was downright volatile and frightening. But, it wasn’t a one note performance either, and now it proves to be the precursor to something really stark and disturbing as he’s teamed up with Mel in the story of two officers that get caught strong-arming a suspect and get suspended. They find themselves only getting their just due by slipping into the criminal world.
Another side to this lurid story is ex-convict Henry Jones, who finally is released from prison and heads home only to find his mother and disabled brother destitute. Henry feels his only recourse to help his family is to team up with a childhood friend, Biscuit, who hooks him up with a crime boss that has some dangerous big plans that will not only have them in over their heads, but put them right in the line of fire of Gibson and Vaughn.
Zahler’s film sounds like one hell of a show that’s going to take us into the dark underbelly of the criminal world with some very fascinating characters. It sounds like it’s definitely in Gibson’s wheelhouse. He hasn’t done anything this dark since Edge of Darkness. That film might have been a downer, but it was also a nail biter and Gibson was in fine form.
Along for the ride is a very strong cast with Tory Kittles as Henry Jones. Kittles is famous from TV’s Colony and the TV movie Bessie, the story of the famous blues singer Bessie Smith. He was also a standout as Detective Thomas Papania in the first season of True Detective (the better season).
Zahler also brings back star Jennifer Carpenter who was brilliant in his last film, and adds Don Johnson, Laurie Holden, Michael Jai White, and Udo Kier. Effects artist Tate Steinseik working on the film announced on Instagram, “By FAR the most violent film I’ve ever done.”
It should be noted that Vaughn has worked with Gibson before. Gibson brought him on as Sgt. Howell in Hacksaw Ridge, where the actor displayed a much tougher side. Dragged Across Concrete is set to premiere at the 75th Venice International Film Festival. The film currently has release dates internationally in September and November. Let’s hope a smart U.S. distribution is on the horizon. This is one that Mel fans would be anxious to see in the theaters. The picture below is courtesy of Tate Steinseik’s Instagram. Thanks Tate for the pic, and the heads up.
