Reviews
Oct 14, 2021
Staub and Dan Walser largely avoid the hood clichés in showing how strangers can discover and come to respect each other over a fireside chat and John Coltrane.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
Aug 30, 2021
While it will recover community dignity and a lost history, and it will inspire, this beautifully shot, low-key feature could have done with a stronger story to match
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5
Jun 23, 2021
Concrete Cowboy marks a spectacular directorial debut from Ricky Straub and features standout performances from Caleb McLaughlin and Idris Elba.
Full Review
| Original Score: 9
Jun 6, 2021
Concrete Cowboy never really engages on a deeper level, and ... suffers for its unimaginative, generic script.
May 25, 2021
Concrete Cowboy is a well-done and timely coming of age film in the era of the Movement For Black Lives.
May 17, 2021
Not quite a confounding film. [Full Review in Spanish]
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5
May 14, 2021
Idris Elba doesn't do a lot of dramatic flexing here, the mark of a true artist in the prime of his career. He adds pathos when they aren't even required.
Full Review
| Original Score: A-
May 8, 2021
A familiar tale of a boy and his horse is... no less hokey in Philadelphia than it would be in Billings. It does, however, have an intriguing narrative backdrop.
Full Review
| Original Score: B-
May 7, 2021
Saddle up for a solid ride with 'Concrete Cowboy.'
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/4
May 5, 2021
Concrete Cowboy is at its best when we get to simply hang out with this crew at the stables,
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/4
Apr 29, 2021
Provides a very decent spotlight for a community suffering in modern times and delivers an equally decent movie out of it.
Full Review
| Original Score: 7.5/10
Apr 28, 2021
Concrete Cowboy, a wonderful Netflix film about a black teen named Cole who gets rescued from drug-dealing street life by his father's tough love, is an inspiring and beautiful story.
Apr 26, 2021
Builds an entire world in the span of one corner of North Philadelphia, bringing to vivid life this culture of urban cowboys and those struggling to preserve it.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/4
Apr 21, 2021
This Eastern Western reveals a segment of Black history that most of us were not aware of. It's subculture-solid. Saddle up!
Full Review
| Original Score: 7/10
Apr 16, 2021
A compelling and beautifully rendered look at the subculture of Black horsemanship in North Philadelphia
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
Apr 15, 2021
While uneven, "Concrete Cowboy" is an engaging tale that benefits greatly from its singular cast and setting.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5
Apr 14, 2021
The screenplay, though it does follow some predictable beats, also takes time to linger over the themes. There are no cutaways, just smart, almost documentary-like, conversation.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5
Apr 14, 2021
I've seen this movie before, but with no cowboys riding horses over the vacant lots of the inner city.
Full Review
| Original Score: B-
Apr 9, 2021
Ultimately, Concrete Cowboy has great intentions and has all the bones of something special, but doesn't live up to what it could have been.
Apr 9, 2021
The film captures a fascinating urban subculture threatened with extinction -- and Elba's fans will follow the Golden-Globe-winning Luther star anywhere, including horseback.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5