TIFF 2020 film review: 'Concrete Cowboy'

(Image courtesy of TIFF.)

Part coming-of-age drama, part eye-opening look at an intriguing subculture hidden in the middle of Philadelphia and part urban gentrification critique, 'Concrete Cowboy' (screening at the 45th Toronto International Film Festival) tries to wear a few too many hats when it should just wear a Stetson.

In short: Troubled 15-year-old Cole (Caleb McLaughlin) discovers the world of urban horseback riding when he moves in with his estranged father Harp (Idris Elba), a horse-riding cowboy living in North Philadelphia.

Black cowboys sitting around a campfire with the Philly skyline just off screen is an absolutely gripping visual. The concept of 'Black cowboys living in modern Philadelphia' is immediately compelling - because it's an utterly unfamiliar concept that upends the very concept of what defines a cowboy. Writer-director Ricky Staub doesn't just make the concept feel fresh - it feels totally natural. This neighborhood is so full of texture and built-in history that doesn't just imbue the film with authenticity, it's now impossible to imagine this neighborhood without horses.

The disappointment of 'Concrete' is, despite the totally unconventional world it lives in, the story itself is a fairly straightforward and predictable coming-of-age arch. The script telegraphs its plot points from a mile away. There's no curve balls either. And some of the plot points are both inevitable and pretty broad, at the very least heavy handed and (at the very worst) bordering on melodrama. It's unfortunate that a film rooted in such a surprising subculture is so unsurprising in its execution.

Perhaps no movie can ever have too much Idris Elba, but 'Concrete' definitely doesn't have enough of the the acclaimed British star. Yes, 'Concrete' really isn't Harp's story - but it's impossible to look away during Elba's monologues. His grizzled old cowboy immediately demands respect - and Elba proves he's every bit the cowboy as any lawman in any John Wayne film ever. Perhaps the only critique of Harp, as a character, is that he's simply portrayed as if he's only a cowboy: virtually nothing else about his character is revealed. While this works in shaping Harp into an archetypal cowboy, a sort of city dwelling man with no name, it does not help add much dimension or depth to Harp as a character.

Final verdict: Once 'Concrete' gets passed the culture shock of the urban cowboy subculture, this film is a pretty staid if competent coming-of-age drama.

Score: 3.5/5

'Concrete Cowboy' screens during TIFF 2020. This biographical drama is not yet rated and has a running time of 111 minutes.