Ricky Staub’s CONCRETE COWBOY is a novel flavour of a perhaps over-familiar story. The overarching plot of this drama seems very paint-by-numbers, but the setting and underlying themes keep the film feeling fresh, and the central performance from Caleb McLaughlin keeps it engaging.
After his latest brush with the authorities, Cole (Caleb McLaughlin) is relocated to northern Philadelphia by his mother to live with his father Harp (Idris Elba). Harp is the head of the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club, a historical group of black cowboys who keep and tend to horses in urban Philadelphia. Cole takes a shine to an unruly horse (and obvious metaphor for himself) as his relationship with his father develops.
CONCRETE COWBOY has a central drama – the son and estranged father – that springs no surprises in terms of the narrative trajectory. The exact path of scepticism, thawing, second act difficulty, strained partnership and emotional reconciliation is followed without missing a beat. However, the unique setting and backdrop make the film worth considering.
When Cole enters his father’s home and sees a stabled horse just off the living room, it is as an arresting sight for the audience and him. The film – although directed by a white man – is also keen, in its small way, to redress the balance in America’s depiction of the cowboy; this iconic American image has been whitewashed over time, ignoring the historical significance black cowboys played. That desire also gives the film the unique angle that prevents the story from feeling too familiar, even if the plot and character beats, in isolation, are a well-worn formula.
Caleb McLaughlin displays some talent, particularly in a sequence where he is required to bring the misbehaving horse under control. The scene is extremely well constructed in terms of developing tension and intensity, and McLaughlin matches that tone with his character’s apprehension and fear. As with CONCRETE COWBOY as a whole, the symbolism of the scene is slightly inelegant, but the engaging screen presences distract from the obviousness of it all. In that regard, Idris Elba is not breaking new ground, but his screen presence gives a gravitas the film benefits from enormously. The film’s more surface-level treatment of the other, more criminal, sources vying for Cole’s attention are given short shrift, however. The script doesn’t make remarkably effective use of the incredibly talented Jharrel Jerome as Smush, a nefarious influence on young Cole.
CONCRETE COWBOY puts a unique gloss on what could have been a tired narrative. The innovations here are in who embodies the story rather than the story itself. Staub’s film doesn’t break the mould, but it does find some unique material from which to cast the final work.