Concrete Cowboy

R

2020

1 hr. 51 min.

Drama

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List

80%

126 Reviews

Tomatometer

70%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

The film follows 15-year-old Cole, who's forced to live with his estranged father Harper in North Philadelphia, where, despite the surrounding poverty and violence, he discovers the redemptive world of urban horseback riding.

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Maria O

I liked it a lot and the cinematography was super well done. The only thing is that the ending could have been more sentimental by prolonging it. But I bet people would probably disagree with me on that. This is just my opinion.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/26/23

Full Review

Ty W

Elba never disappoints of course. The pacing of the movie isn't the best but a very touching movie!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/04/23

Full Review

dan r

'Concrete Cowboy' dropped onto Netflix in 2020 and is actually a decent Netflix movie based around great character acting rather than fancy CGI. SYNOPSIS: 'Sent to live with his estranged father for the summer, a rebellious teen finds kinship in a tight-knit Philadelphia community of Black cowboys.' Although this film is predictable at times with it's storyline, it looks incredible with some amazing photography. Director, Ricky Straub (making his debut here) clearly has an expert eye in capturing some incredibly lit scenes. The film also features standout performances from Caleb McLaughlin, in a breakout performance, and Idris Elba who quietly does his thing becoming the back bone to the film. A gorgeous coming of age movie. 7/10

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I really enjoyed it especially after learning that it centers on real life "concrete cowboys" Who are still currently riding in North Philly. Apparently there have been urban based male & female riders there for over a century. The interview at the end with some of the real life riders, that are also in the movie was an added bonus.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

amazing scenes with artistic eye

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

That stable life. So this is about a teenager named Cole (Caleb McLaughlin). His mother in Detroit won't stand for him getting into trouble anymore, so she throws his clothes into some garbage bags and drives him to Philadelphia to live with his father (Idris Elba). He's a cowboy who lives in the city, so this is sure to be a drastic change for Cole. Now this one was on my radar, but it got pushed onto my backburner in a big way. While it looked intriguing, the fact of the matter is that nobody was talking about it, so it just sat on my watchlist. Now that I'm prepping for my 2021 wrap-up, I'm prioritizing catching up on films I missed, and Concrete Cowboy is pretty decent. Now going off the posters, you may be under the impression that this is Idris Elba's movie. While he gets to showcase his range once again, this isn't the case. It's much more Caleb McLaughlin's story. He's grown up considerably since Stranger Things, almost overnight, so much so that I don't know how they're going to make season 4 without making it take place in college. He turns in some quality work here. It's just such a bizarre situation to get thrown into the deep end, and he serves as the audience's avatar. I like the relationship he forms with the notorious horse that nobody can break, and I enjoyed watching him learn the ropes as the story advances. Expectedly, he is resistant at first, but he eventually comes around. That's the thing with this movie: it's formulaic and plays out almost exactly as you would imagine, but it's the variables that are mostly quality and elevate it. I use the modifier mostly because there is also an additional plot thread of Cole getting involved in very generic street crime. They don't even spell out what exactly is getting pushed, and it makes up such a large part of this story that I have to knock a few points off. Concrete Cowboy is a film that never rises above being satisfactory. I think it works from an educational standpoint more than anything. It may not directly be based on a true story, but there are people like this out there, and it lets you know how much whitewashing Hollywood did to the perception of cowboys. They use real, non-actor riders who do this on the daily, and that does give this story an authentic feel to it. It's not bad, so watch it at your own discretion if it sounds interesting.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

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Ricky Staub

Director

Idris Elba

Harp

Caleb McLaughlin

Cole

Jharrel Jerome

Smush

Lorraine Toussaint

Nessie

Byron Bowers

Rome

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Concrete Cowboy: Movie Clip

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Concrete Cowboy: Trailer 1

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Robert Levin

Newsday

Builds an entire world in the span of one corner of North Philadelphia, bringing to vivid life this culture of urban cowboys and those struggling to preserve it.

Rated: 4/4

Apr 26, 2021

Full Review

Thelma Adams

AARP Movies for Grownups

The film captures a fascinating urban subculture threatened with extinction -- and Elba's fans will follow the Golden-Globe-winning Luther star anywhere, including horseback.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 9, 2021

Full Review

Amy Nicholson

FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

Some incredible cinematography, but it's incredibly sleepy all the way through.

Apr 6, 2021

Full Review

Manuel São Bento

MSB Reviews

Concrete Cowboy holds a formulaic, unsurprising coming-of-age story that could have been more captivating had it focused on the main narrative.

Rated: C+

Jul 24, 2023

Full Review

M.N. Miller

Music City Drive-In

This is a film with a unique slice of life that has an authentic look and feel while telling a timeless story of fathers and sons.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jan 4, 2023

Full Review

Erick Estrada

Cinegarage

Cole's story runs parallel to the stable's to brilliant effect... [yet] the film dives into Western territory during the second half, and at times it does it well, but sometimes it gets lost along the way. [Full review in Spanish]

Nov 2, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

The film follows 15-year-old Cole, who's forced to live with his estranged father Harper in North Philadelphia, where, despite the surrounding poverty and violence, he discovers the redemptive world of urban horseback riding.

Director: Ricky Staub
Executive Producer: Jason Barhydt, Lorraine Burgess, Alastair Burlingham, Gregoire Gensollen
Screenwriter: Ricky Staub, Dan Walser
Production Co: Tucker Tooley Entertainment, Green Door Pictures, Neighborhood Film Co., Lee Daniels Entertainment, Waxylu Films
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 2, 2021
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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