Concrete Cowboy has a certain amount of charm in it's deliverance, but the father-son story line never catches hold of you the way in which it was intended.
Written by Elliot Lines
After Cole (Caleb McLaughlin) runs into some trouble at school, his mum decides to take him to his estranged father Harp (Idris Elba) who shows him the world of urban horseback riding in North Philadelphia.
There is a real insight here into the world of the Fletcher's Street Urban Riders Club. These are a group of people that know no different, this is their lives and they live it to it's full potential, full of care for each other and their trusty steeds.
It's not until the end that you realise that some of the actors on show here are first timers, and actual Fletcher Street Riders. These people seamlessly bland into the film, making this all the more real. But you can't help but feel this film was affected by the father-son story line that is attempting to hold the film together. Elba and McLaughlin do their utmost to make this work but that final bond is never felt. There are certainly some characters that could be explored further to make a more interesting arc overall.
There is a disconnection here, something that doesn't quite work. But with strong performances across the board, and some interesting events, the film does enough to hold its audience right through til the end.