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Summary:
Two police detectives find themselves suspended when a video of their strong-arm tactics is leaked to the media. With little money and no options, the embittered policemen descend into the criminal underworld and find more than they wanted waiting in the shadows.
Director:
S. Craig Zahler
Writers:
screenplay by S. Craig Zahler
Cast:
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Mel Gibson as Brett Ridgeman
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Vince Vaughn as Anthony Lurasetti
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Tory Kittles as Henry Johns
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Michael Jai White as Biscuit
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Laurie Holden as Melanie Ridgeman
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Jennifer Carpenter as Kelly Summer
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Fred Melamed as Mr. Edmington
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Don Johnson as Lt. G. Calvert
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Tattiawna Jones as Denise
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Udo Kier as Friedrich
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Thomas Kretschmann as Lorentz Vogelmann
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Myles Truitt as Ethan
Rotten Tomatoes: 78%
Metacritic: 63/100
After Credits Scene? No
VOD: Amazon, iTunes, Fandango Now
All previous official discussions can be found on r/discussionarchive
Loved Mel’s recurring bit with giving everything a percentage. Was such a funny bit but also humanized him, and really paid off with Vince refusing the hear the % of his proposal being successful.
“50% on yes or no question doesn’t mean anything”
This movie had a lot of neat language callbacks for every character, like Vince using an insult that we later learn he got from his girlfriend. Feels real to life, not sure if Zahler's other films do this too.
Bone Tomahawk has a similar way of delivering setups and payoffs in the dialogue. Haven’t seen Cell Block yet!
Do yourself a favor and watch it immediately. He has already become a must see filmmaker for me and like everything he has done, but Brawl is my favorite by far. Maybe one of my favorite movies of all time.
That being said, it’s definitely not for everyone and I can understand how some will dislike it. You should definitely find out for yourself though.
Man I just finished Dragged across concrete and I have to agree 100% with you. Didn't love Bone Tomahawk as much as Brawl and this one but I am right there with you when you say "he's a must see filmmaker for me." I will now be looking for anything Zahler puts out. The only other director I do that for is Tarantino. Can't wait for his next film.
That flick was really good, like a mix of Goodfellas & Pulp Fiction on a smaller scale.
That Jennifer Carpenter-Storyline...damn.
She also does emotional wreck acting really well.
It is the only thing she can do lol
She can swear too
that slack jawed/eyebrow raise simultaneous off set tremble really is becoming her call sign lol
" a mix of Goodfellas & Pulp Fiction " lol?
Personally I definitely see the similarity to Pulp Fiction, the violence is similar, the bizarreness/humor, and the anecdotal storytelling is all very similar. Also the dynamic between Vaughn and Gibson. But regardless I can’t see it compared to Goodgellas at all.
haha I lol'd at this too. What?
Dialogue and pace and skill seemed more akin to No Country For Old Men, eh?
As someone who has never watched any crime movies other than The Godfather and Drive, this movie really felt to me like a mix of The Godfather and Drive.
I got a New Jack City meets CHiPs vibe.
I know right? She shows up, Zahler makes you actually feel sad for her, then bam the character they set up goes out in the most depressing way ever.
I wish Jennifer Carpenter was in more movies.
More like Heat and Pulp Fiction, more Heat
Ehh, weakest part of the movie for me. Her skull looked like it was trying to burst through her skin at all times.
The worst part is that she didn't even want to go to work that day.
Just got done watching this with my wife. Can confirm her storyline is devastating
That final shot had me like 🤯
Just finished it. I thought I was great. I think it’s my favorite movie of the year so far.
I’m a bit bummed that the only theater it was playing at in my area was in Manhattan and I wasn’t going to take an hour train ride into the city to see a movie that I could watch on demand.
I think you’re great too u/Nezlo_Nuke_Em
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I really enjoyed this movie. Have been looking forward to it. I feel like this is the kind of movie that would piss a lot of moviegoers off if it got a wider release, not only because of the subject matter but because of Zahler's style. I love the long wide static takes of seemingly unnecessary dialogue. The tension in the final shootout was top notch as well. It's a long movie but it flew by for me.
It's crazy, did not feel like 2h40min at all! But as you said, I'm sure a lot of people would grow restless of the film's pacing. But I loved it.
Ditto, I couldn't believe how close I was to the end when I checked the remaining time. I loved the pacing.
Really off-topic, but I went looking for this movie on Amazon Japan. It's not listed, but Zahler's other two movies are. The translations are kinda funny.
Bone Tomahawk = Tomahawk Gunman vs. Cannibals
Brawl in Cell Block 99 = Dangerous Prison
You need to see both. They're great. Brawl in Cell Block 99 particularly has a gritty feel to it. Good stuff.
Watching Vince Vaughn absolutely rock peoples shit was so fucking intense
also Dragged Across Concrete appears as a cameo in Brawl in Cell Block 99.
It has some really great dialog. My only disappointment was there wasn't a scene where somebody was literally dragged across the concrete.
When Don Johnson is having his pep talk with Mel, he warns him: “It’s not healthy for you.... to scuff concrete as long as you have.”
I think this is more a metaphor for what the lead characters are going through in their lives that led them to become desperate enough to get involved with something like this.
I walked into the movie thinking "That better not be a metaphor". Literally.
It's 'Brawl in Cell Block 99''s fault.
Not a violent kill or anything but there are people dragged across concrete- namely the two sidekicks to the two protagonists.
I thought it referred to mel being towed with the gold
It literally happens, though. And, it's metaphorical use is spelled out explicitly in dialogue. Vince Vaughn says:
Several bodies are dragged across concrete
Two significant people in the movie literally drag their best friends across concrete.
There was some dialogue between Mel Gibson and Vince Vaughn where they mention something about concrete. I was half-asleep during that part.
The hostage dragged herself across concrete to kill Vaughn
Slow, brutal, and fascinating. Mel and Vince Vaughn are superb in the spotlight, and Zahler holds nothing back. The extreme violence of the script is the perfect balance for Zahler’s beautiful camera work. What makes this movie work, though, is the stillness the characters inhabit. These men are broken, and all they’ve ever known is violence. We can see their whole lives. Say what you want about the personal lives of the leading men, but they delivered the goods here. 9/10.
Found the Director for Blood Meridian
I gasped.
Damn. I can totally see it.
Don’t tease me like that
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Crud
Okay, I had to pause this because I'm near the end and have been in a state of suspense and tension for very long periods in this film. This is my introduction to Zahler, and if his other films are anything close to this one then I can't wait to catch up on his filmography.
This is one of my favorite type of films. About 85% of this film is just one or two men in or outside of a car talking to each other, and yet it's not once tedious or dull. It's genuinely thrilling. Then when the action does start, it's so involving that the tension just spike, and it's not mindless action either. I also love all the random tangents it goes on, like the woman whose husband locks her out,. Mel Gibson is fucking phenomenal.
And does anyone else think this is visually dazzling? The lighting and cinematography is exquisite.
Oh boy. His other films are this same style. Bone Tomahawk is his best, this one and Brawl in Cell Block 99 are close in my mind. Can't decide which I like more. Strongly recommend picking up his other 2 films.
Just finished Brawl in Cell Block 99, absolutely loved it. Prefer Dragged Across Concrete by a small margin. Looking forward to revisiting Bone Tomahawk. I remember starting to watch it but found the pacing too glacial, but now that I am understanding Zahler's style and on the right wave length I can't wait to see what I was missing the first time around.
FYI, if you haven't also seem Jeremy Saunier's films Blue Ruin and Green Room, I think you will absolutely love them. Very similar to Zahler in content and style.
Brawl was great. Zahler had Vince Vaughn in mind when he wrote the script, and Vaugn accepted the role without hesitation. He was perfect for it
Anyone else enjoy the Gloves boys as much as I did?
"We are here" or "We're here"... Not "We here"
The villains were great. They reminded me a lot of the cannibal tribe from Bone Tomahawk in a sense, Zahler is great at depicting really menacing, monstrous villains who are about as inhuman as humans can get. The movie always keeps them at arms length, but what you see and hear from them gives the strong impression that watching a day in the life of one of these guys would make you vomit.
Yes. There was something extra menacing about their sophisticated speeched and strict adherence to proper grammar. Like they were robots, literal killing machines.
They reminded me of Dwight Yoakam from Panic Room. Something about a guy in a balaclava with a totally unassuming deadpan voice and a sadistic streak.
Also the fact that they never explained what they were doing made them seem really dangerous. The only time you really hear them talk is when they're cutting open Michael Jai White's character and even then their casual banter really contrasts with the depravity of what they're doing to make them even more scary.
"The blood is gratis"
Yes I did enjoy them greatly. The asian shop scene, spraying bullets everywhere - even the snacks... hahaha
All 3 of Zahler's movies made me want to take a shower after. Very provocative and he stretches the tension like an elastic that's about to snap...and I usually feel a bit exhausted (and relieved) after the film is over.
I find his films similar to Saulnier's Green Room & Blue Ruin, and the Coen Bros' No Country for Old Men.
Well said. Saulnier and Zahlers' violence in their films, are incredibly disturbing and really stick with me. Cant wait to see what they put out next.
Saulnier's violence is so panicked and clumsy it just feels disturbingly real. I found Lynne Ramsey's You Were Never Really Here to have a similar vide to Saulnier.
Green Room just punched ME in the face... such a dark tone of being lost...
Yeah it's that sense of dread you have because the bad guys are just so nasty... what about how one of the masked guys says to make sure he doesn't burst the liver, cos of the smell, especially from black guys.. so you know not only has he been around people getting killed, he's been around people getting cut open, and often enough that he has experienced a burst liver on multiple people of different races... so you just think who the F are these guys and what have they done in their lives before this point... great writing
Of all 3 I really prefer Brawl. You could see every single character in there meant business. Dragged was well...a bit dragged?
The Vince-Vaughn-chewing-and-staring-at-his-sandwich scene is incredible.
Maybe it was just my audio but it sounded like he was eating a glass sandwhich.
They intentionally made it louder to emphasize how annoying it was for Mel. Imagine you're on watch for hours on end where absolutely nothing happens but you have to stay away and keep watching. You are stuck with the same person the entire time and you start to get annoyed at anything.
Somebody eating a sandwich loudly could be really annoying. Hearing lip smacking, swallowing, etc. when there is nothing else going on.
I was watching this scene thinking “this is why this movie is 2 hours 40 minutes”, but I wasn’t upset. As mundane as that scene was, it felt necessary. This movie was so drawn out, but there were only one or two scenes that felt unnecessary.
Yeah, agreed. When I was watching that scene I thought "this is such a great thing to include because it shows their relationship more and how boring/mundane a stakeout is"
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If you appreciated his scene chewing, you should watch the Netflix show Lady Dynamite. He plays a talent agent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQAbmISrzXA
The PS4 controllers weren't turned on lmao
I said that to the Mrs, she looked at me like 'You're a gimp'.
TFW you have your PS4 controller configured such that as soon as it connects your PC set the light-bar color to #000000 so you don't notice it.
you can also just turn it off on the PS4 menu
I noticed that too LMAO