Ricky Staub’s Concrete Cowboy is quite the profoundly affecting urban western! Ok, so the plot at hand is fairly predictable and borderline cliched, but it never once goes into “cheesy” territory. Engaging and heartfelt, the movie gets most of its mileage out of the thoroughbred cast of actors. Yes, Idris Elba is unsurprisingly great as the grizzled father out to teach his wayward son life’s hard lessons, but it’s Caleb McLaughlin who perhaps shines brightest. Shedding his teeny-bopper Stranger Things persona, McLaughlin has zero trouble delivering a deeply layered portrayal full of pent-up adolescent emotion. There’s also something to be said for the film’s horse-riding sequences, as Straub treats us to a plethora of visually striking moments between man and stallion. So yes, while you will undoubtably know how it will all turn out in the first 5 or so minutes, Concrete Cowboy makes for an effortlessly endearing exploration of black cowboy culture – and everything that life can throw at you.