Idris Elba, Black cowboys and a rich and real history of horses and stables in modern day downtown Philadelphia.
The history of the Philadelphia concrete cowboys is up for debate, but most people believe that they originated in the early 20th century when they moved north for work and brought livestock with them. Black riders worked as carriage drivers in the city or herded cattle outside of it, and they later went on to become jockeys and horse trainers. When cars and trains began to dominate life, the concrete cowboys continued to keep their horses in the city.
“Concrete Cowboy” had all the makings of a great and original movie, and I really, really wanted to love it.
Unfortunately, it feels like the entire budget was spent landing Elba, and little was left for the writing, storyboarding or creative directors.
“Concrete Cowboy” tells the story of Cole (Caleb McLaughlin), a troubled youth who is sent to live with his father in a rough area of Philadelphia.When he arrives, he’s greeted by an old friend and locally known drug dealer, Smush (Jharrel Jerome). Cole’s father Harp (Idris Elba), whom he barely knows, immediately gives him an ultimatum — stop hanging out with Smush, or move out of his house and onto the street.
When Cole refuses to stop hanging out with Smush, he’s forced to find a place to sleep for the night and breaks into a horse stable belonging to his father’s friends in downtown Philadelphia. When he’s found in the morning, curled up with a wild and violent horse named Boo, his father’s friends introduce him to the life of the concrete cowboy.
If it sounds confusing and somewhat like a fever dream, that’s because it is. The movie moves from scene to scene with little organization or natural character development and weaves a coming of age story that misses the most important part of coming of age stories — connecting the viewer to the characters.
While Elba and McLaughlin are solid in their performances, this can’t override poor writing and story development that they likely had little control over.
One of the redeeming qualities of the movie is undoubtedly the rest of the cast, many of whom are real “concrete cowboys” from downtown Philadelphia. In a “Nomadland” style movie/documentary hybrid, the actors are ultimately playing themselves and do a surprisingly good job with the acting as well.
Unfortunately, it’s still not enough to make up for the incoherent organization of the movie.
The most entertaining and interesting part of the movie is during the post-credits, where the real concrete cowboys talk about their experiences and love for their culture in downtown Philadelphia. Veterans of the community talked of the “good old days,” while young kids shared examples of how riding horses in downtown Philadelphia made them feel unique and gave them a purpose that ultimately got them off the streets.
The movie would have likely benefited greatly from just turning itself into a documentary. The decision to go with a hybrid style just didn’t work out, which is a tragedy given the potential and rich history the movie was trying to display.
