Review: Horses and hard lessons in coming of age tale 'Concrete Cowboy'

A Detroit teenager is sent to Philadelphia to live with his father — and his father's horse — in "Concrete Cowboy," an effective coming-of-age story that concurrently tells the story of Philly's urban cowboy collective, the Fletcher Street Riders. 

"Stranger Things'" Caleb McLaughlin plays Cole, who is booted from his school after his latest fight. Fed up, his mother deals him some tough love by driving him out let his father, Harp (Idris Elba) take care of him for the summer, and Harp takes care of him the only way he knows how, by teaching him the way of the cowboy. 

Cole cleans stalls and tries not to get manure on his Jordans. Along the way, he learns about discipline and responsibility, the stuff movie lessons are made of. 

The wrinkle comes from Harp and his crew, Black cowboys carrying on the tradition of their ancestors, who are squeezed off their land and dwell on an increasingly tiny piece of city real estate. They run afoul with the law — Method Man plays a police officer who is sympathetic to their plight — and a handful of real life Riders play versions of themselves. 

That history is fascinating, more than the somewhat typical story that takes center stage, though first-time feature director Ricky Staub does an admirable job balancing the two. An extended monologue where Harp breaks down the origins of Cole's name is a powerful scene that beefs up the father-son storyline. 

But the kicker comes over the closing credits, when the real life Fletcher Street Riders speak up. Their story would make for a fascinating documentary. "Concrete Cowboy" rolls in enough of that tale to whet appetites, but around this campfire it seems there's more story to be told. 

'Concrete Cowboy'

GRADE: B

Rated R: for language throughout, drug use and some violence

Running time: 111 minutes

On Netflix