Image credit By Scott Campbell





The Western genre might not be as popular as it once was, but Idris Elba is a major star and a well-known name among fans, so Concrete Cowboy, now that Ricky Staub's new oater has been added to Netflix's content catalogue, stands a good chance of doing well.



Netflix acquired the project's release rights a few months ago, with Elba directing and starring as the father of Stranger Things' Caleb McLaughlin, who is sent to live with his estranged grandfather in Philadelphia and is pulled into the world of a rancher.


Jharrel Jerome, the Emmy-winning breakout star from When They See Us, and Method Man round out the solid cast, and Concrete Cowboy has been riding a heavy wave of critical acclaim since its premiere at last year's Toronto International Film Festival. It currently has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 79 percent, and while ratings don't really mean much when it comes to breaking the platform's Top 10 most-watched list, it does ensure that it'll be worth seeing.

Idris Elba is a consistent presence in every film he stars in, and after appearing in Avengers: Infinity War, Hobbs & Shaw, the flop Cats, and this summer's The Suicide Squad, it'll be a welcome change of pace to see him sink his teeth into a meaty role in a character-driven drama like Concrete Cowboy. Not to mention that, after he completes George Miller's sci-fi Three Thousand Years of Longing, the 48-year-old will return to the long-awaited feature-length adaptation of Luther.