Concrete Cowboy was shown at the Sundance film festival in 2020 but then wasn't released until 2021 on Netflix. Much to my surprise, it is one of the best films from the last two years.
The Concrete Cowboy is about Cole (Caleb McLaughlin) who is getting into fights at school. His mom then drops him off at his dads house. His dad (Iris Elba), is a modern day cowboy with horses in Philadelphia. Cole also comes across an old childhood friend named Smush (Jharrel Jerome) who deals with some not so great people. Cole gets involved in both of the lives not knowing how bad one can be.
Netflix has produced another marvelous film. I don't know if the Oscar's will change back their qualification to a movie has to be shown in the theaters for at least two weeks because I don't think this film got any time in the theaters. It defiantly deserves some recognition from the Academy though. The story was purely a work of art. The way in sort of twisted your thoughts into thinking the same way Cole did in trusting Smush. That also made you really like the life that his dad is in because it is sort of like an actual cowboy. Towards the start of the film, it did drag on a little. It was really the part right after they built up some of the characters. The rest of the movie picked up a considerable amount after the first act and the start to the second. The whole feel of the film was nailed too. It made you really want to do the things these people are doing. They do all of the things that you think cowboys would have done. They tend horses, sit around campfires, and are always wearing a hat. Many films highlighting old ways in a modern world have been made recently. Nomadland told you that you can still roam around the country. I will even go as far as saying When Marnie Was There sort of highlighted exploration and not being encaged by the works of society. It is just a whole bunch of fun to be watching these sort of films.
Iris Elba is in the film which really helped the acting category out in the film but the supporting cast and main character all propelled the film forward. Caleb McLaughlin who played Cole, really helped illustrate the characters growth from being sort of meek into becoming a hard worker. It is always fun to watch someone grow into a more productive human being in movies and in books. He sort of felt like a character from the book, Touching Spirit Bear. The book was about a character who would constantly get mad at people for looking at him the wrong way. Some people then sent him to an uninhabited island were he would face many challenges. He had no technology or anything. This movie did have some characters with technology but it still sort of hit the same cord and also triggered the same feeling I got with that book.
Surprisingly the score was also pretty good. It captured both lives Cole was living in perfectly. When he was being a cowboy, they had a more outlaw theme in the background. When he was participating in illegal activity, the score had more of a rap like feel to it. In the end both of the scores sort of joined because both of the lives joined. The score really helped paint the picture the director was going for.
The Concrete Cowboy was a work of art that made me feel free but did have some dragging problems towards the start of the picture. I would recommend this film to anybody who loves horses and cowboys. Also for anybody who just wants to feel free.
The Concrete Cowboy is about Cole (Caleb McLaughlin) who is getting into fights at school. His mom then drops him off at his dads house. His dad (Iris Elba), is a modern day cowboy with horses in Philadelphia. Cole also comes across an old childhood friend named Smush (Jharrel Jerome) who deals with some not so great people. Cole gets involved in both of the lives not knowing how bad one can be.
Netflix has produced another marvelous film. I don't know if the Oscar's will change back their qualification to a movie has to be shown in the theaters for at least two weeks because I don't think this film got any time in the theaters. It defiantly deserves some recognition from the Academy though. The story was purely a work of art. The way in sort of twisted your thoughts into thinking the same way Cole did in trusting Smush. That also made you really like the life that his dad is in because it is sort of like an actual cowboy. Towards the start of the film, it did drag on a little. It was really the part right after they built up some of the characters. The rest of the movie picked up a considerable amount after the first act and the start to the second. The whole feel of the film was nailed too. It made you really want to do the things these people are doing. They do all of the things that you think cowboys would have done. They tend horses, sit around campfires, and are always wearing a hat. Many films highlighting old ways in a modern world have been made recently. Nomadland told you that you can still roam around the country. I will even go as far as saying When Marnie Was There sort of highlighted exploration and not being encaged by the works of society. It is just a whole bunch of fun to be watching these sort of films.
Iris Elba is in the film which really helped the acting category out in the film but the supporting cast and main character all propelled the film forward. Caleb McLaughlin who played Cole, really helped illustrate the characters growth from being sort of meek into becoming a hard worker. It is always fun to watch someone grow into a more productive human being in movies and in books. He sort of felt like a character from the book, Touching Spirit Bear. The book was about a character who would constantly get mad at people for looking at him the wrong way. Some people then sent him to an uninhabited island were he would face many challenges. He had no technology or anything. This movie did have some characters with technology but it still sort of hit the same cord and also triggered the same feeling I got with that book.
Surprisingly the score was also pretty good. It captured both lives Cole was living in perfectly. When he was being a cowboy, they had a more outlaw theme in the background. When he was participating in illegal activity, the score had more of a rap like feel to it. In the end both of the scores sort of joined because both of the lives joined. The score really helped paint the picture the director was going for.
The Concrete Cowboy was a work of art that made me feel free but did have some dragging problems towards the start of the picture. I would recommend this film to anybody who loves horses and cowboys. Also for anybody who just wants to feel free.