Posted by Crime movies can be challenging to watch: they open a window to a part of life we don’t want to discover, bringing us to the extreme sides of society, where fear and hate become the normality. Dragged Across Concrete is one of those movies where violence is the protagonist. Starring Mel Gibson and Vince Vaughn, the movie landed on Netflix in 2023, and viewers needed a deeper perspective on the plot and the ending. Let’s have everything carefully explained in this article.
You can watch the official trailer for Dragged Across Concrete here on Youtube.
Dragged Across Concrete: the plot & ending explained
Ridgeman is a 60-year-old policeman with a wife, a daughter, and a salary that doesn’t allow him to live in a respectable neighborhood of his city. During a police operation, he arrests a drug dealer, but a citizen makes a video proving that his methods are more violent than needed. The video is sent to the press, and his boss is forced to suspend him. We also discover that it’s not the first time it has happened to him in his career.
With six jobless weeks ahead of him, Ridgeman reflects on how his life never emerged from the misery he experiences right now. He feels he deserves more dignity from his job, and since he didn’t get that in years, the man makes up his mind: he finds a way to make some money, explaining to his wife that he can do that, but “we should not talk about it.”
Slowly, while the plot of Dragged Across Concrete evolves, we understand that Ridgeman is committed to criminal activity. He involves his partner Lurasetti, and together, they monitor a building where a criminal is expected to live. His name is Vogelmann, and we soon discover he intends to rob a bank. While doing this, Ridgeman hasn’t fully explained his intentions to his partner Lurasetti over the events of Dragged Across Concrete. Indeed, Lurasetti often proposes to call the police to involve the law. Still, Ridgeman has other plans, which are what the ending of Dragged Across Concrete has explained.
After the robbery, Ridgeman and Lurasetti follow the van to an isolated place, where they start shooting. We immediately understand that Ridgeman’s intention is not exactly making justice, and Vogelmann realizes it, too: he wants the robbery loot. That’s his way of making the money he deserves and giving dignity to his family. His plan encounters issues, a hostage dies, and his partner Lurasetti is shot. When he’s ready to take the loot, Henry, one of the van’s drivers, stops Ridgeman, threatening him to reveal what he did to the press. The two reach a deal: they will split the gold and get both rich.
Ridgeman and Henry clean up the situation, the scenes are tense, but it looks like the two have an agreement. However, at the last minute, Ridgeman points his gun at Henry, demanding he deletes the video from his phone. Things escalate, and Ridgeman dies. But before his last breath, Henry promises him that he will take care of his wife and daughter.
The plot and the ending of Dragged Across Concrete explained something important to us: life is unfair, and people don’t get what they deserve. Lurasetti dies although he tried to be a good cop, Ridgeman’s family is broken, and they did nothing wrong. In contrast, Henry’s family is now extremely rich, much more than they need. Society doesn’t show signs of change; crime and violence will stay. A bitter message that leaves no room for optimism.
