Dragged Across Concrete

With its moral ambiguity and explicit violence, ‘Dragged Across Concrete’ is ugly, bleak, brutal and vile in the best ways possible. The film’s true target audience, though, is patient connoisseurs of highbrow-lowbrow combo platters who are eager to watch a cast of bad men navigate a slow-motion descent into hell. Understandably, it’s not everybody’s cup of tea, but if you’re already a fan of S. Craig Zahler’s oeuvre, elaborate dialogue and exploding heads, you’re in for a treat.

• Jake Watt

Read Jake's full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-dragged-across-concrete-a-hypnotically-violent-and-excessive-crime-flick

Ugly, crude, morally repugnant, thoroughly enjoyable

Tom Grater: The film has quite a complicated relationship with race, there are moments in it that make the viewer feel uncomfortable. Can you talk about that approach?

S. Craig Zahler: I don't try to put out a socio-political message. I've publicly railed against 'message' movies, I think they're didactic. For me, it's about a bunch of people from different walks of lives who get pushed into certain corners. We have had plenty of films that say "war is bad", "racism is bad", "love is good". That's what blogging is for. The effects of being a police officer, carrying prejudice within you, and the damage that can come with it - that's stuff I wanted to play with. I think there will be people who watch this movie and find the two cops repellent and people who find them relatable and sympathetic. That's by design.

• "Venice Q&A: Dragged Across Concrete director S. Craig Zahler - "I don't think US cinema is in a good place"" (Tom Grater); Screen Daily (September 7, 2018)

Nick Schager: Some critics consider your films conservative-oriented, and Dragged Across Concrete has only reinforced that view. Do you agree with those assessments about your work's politics?

S. Craig Zahler: I'm not politically driven; I'm not very politically interested. None of the stuff I write comes from the point of view that I want to push an agenda, or have a piece that is subservient to a single thesis statement that I hope will enlighten the world. I think Bone Tomahawk and Dragged Across Concrete have multiple characters and viewpoints, and I write all of my stuff from the viewpoint of the characters. If you watch Bone Tomahawk _and say, well, what the author really thinks is what Brooder (Matthew Fox) thinks, then you're going to come away with one point of view. If you think the author thinks what Arthur (Patrick Wilson) thinks, then clearly the author is Christian and pushi...