Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- bleak
- brooding
- morally unsettling
- late night crime marathon
- gritty thriller night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the performances, especially Mel Gibson’s, the expansive crime-world construction, and the film’s deliberate tension, while finding its lengthy runtime and extreme violence divisive.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Brett Ridgeman and Anthony Lurasetti use police brutality and criminal methods while the story gives sustained attention to their financial pressures and personal loyalties.
The film combines a buddy-cop setup, expansive dialogue, long tension-building passages, and brutally staged shootouts.
The opening suspension follows a recorded strong-arm tactic, and the protagonists’ descent into crime keeps institutional violence central.
The film spends substantial time on preparation, observation, and intersecting criminal plans before releasing its violence.
Films like Dragged Across Concrete, and why
Sicario
shared neo-noir atmosphere, morally compromised law enforcement figures, deliberate pacing, and graphic criminal violence
No Country for Old Men
shared bleak crime world, elaborate dialogue, escalating brutality, and morally ambiguous protagonists
The Departed
shared buddy cop framework, police corruption, racial tension, and abrasive dark humor
Killing Them Softly
shared slow-burning crime drama, bleak fatalism, operatic violence, and compromised male protagonists
Movie Details
- Director
- S. Craig Zahler
- Release Date
- 2019-02-21
- Runtime
- 159 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (1178)
Cast
- Mel Gibson
- Vince Vaughn
- Tory Kittles
- Michael Jai White
- Jennifer Carpenter
- Don Johnson
- Laurie Holden
- Jordyn Ashley Olson
- Thomas Kretschmann
- Tattiawna Jones
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Dragged Across Concrete about?
- Suspended police partners pursue a desperate criminal score, only to enter a merciless underworld that exposes the cost of their corruption.
- What is Dragged Across Concrete like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Dragged Across Concrete as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Dragged Across Concrete violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Dragged Across Concrete as graphic.
- What did critics think of Dragged Across Concrete?
- Critics broadly praised the performances, especially Mel Gibson’s, the expansive crime-world construction, and the film’s deliberate tension, while finding its lengthy runtime and extreme violence divisive.
- Which films are like Dragged Across Concrete?
- Films with a similar feel include Sicario, No Country for Old Men, The Departed, and Killing Them Softly.
- How long is Dragged Across Concrete?
- Dragged Across Concrete runs 159 minutes.
- Where can I watch Dragged Across Concrete?
- In United States, Dragged Across Concrete streams on Amazon Prime Video, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
