MEL GIBSON and his new film on Netflix, “Dragged Across Concrete” — or “Who Dragged This One Out?”

Great to see Mel Gibson back on the screen again, shockingly older with a voice ruined by smoking (which he still does) and drinking and all that energy going towards his past “good life and taking advantage of it all”.

Mr. Gibson still has a great screen presence so I hope he has better scripts offered to him than this one!

As for his co-star, Vince Vaughn, he has always been one of my favorites going back to his early days. He makes me laugh with his quick reactions and his fast talk. I give him credit for stretching his talent in a new direction hoping this choice wasn’t for the need for work but rather a change of image as he too ages (don’t we all?) He should return to the adorable, funny, reactor that made him such a great star,

ABOUT THE MOVIE: Reviewed on Netflix with the warning, “gritty, disturbing violence, etc, etc”

Take heed. What disturbs me the most is how much independent and even major studios–who once made honest stories in the devil’s territory– such realistic films with acceptable endings. Instead, today, we get these films that have a subliminal underbelly of not only violence but with an unrelenting hopelessness (which in some eyes is our society today so why not make a film of it?– see recent and past police brutality.)

And in “Concrete” what do they do to get sympathy from the audience since killing all the bad guys and some of trying-to-be good-cops have numbe our reactions to violence? They kill off a new mother just returning to her job after taking care of her baby. They leave her behind–where? In the center of the big battle field near the end, of course, on concrete…. They couldn’t do better than that???