'Concrete Cowboy' Trailer: Idris Elba Helps His Wayward Son As An Urban Cowboy In Family Drama

At first glance, the term “urban cowboy” may come across as a contradiction in terms. Those familiar with North Philadelphia, however, know that inner-city horseback riding is a real thing. Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club is one of the city’s most prized subcultures. It’s also proof that horsemanship transcends both the town/country dichotomy and racially-based assumptions of masculine identity. Ricky Staub uses Fletcher Street’s stables as the foundation for his directorial debut “Concrete Cowboy.”

The film follows Cole, a troubled Detroit teenager sent to Philadelphia to live with his estranged father for the summer and stumbles upon the cowboy lifestyle. After Cole runs into an old childhood friend who’s fallen into street life, the young man must decide between two different kinds of loyalty and masculinity.

“Concrete Cowboy” stars Caleb McLaughlin as Cole and Idris Elba as his father. The film also stars Jharrel Jerome, Lorraine Toussaint, Byron Bowers, and Method Man. Elba as serves as one of the producers for the film.

Staub adapted “Concrete Cowboy” from the teen novel “Ghetto Cowboy” by Greg Neri. After witnessing the Fletcher Street subculture firsthand, the director discovered Neri’s book, which piqued his interest to put the story on the big screen.