Django Unchained (2012)

Ricky Staub’s Concrete Cowboy, based on Greg Neri’s novel "Ghetto Cowboy", tells the story of a young teenager forced to adapt to a new lifestyle. In the first scene, we can see how the 15-year-old boy, Cole (Caleb McLaughlin) has relocated to Philadelphia, where his father Harp (Idris Elba) is living, because his mother cannot take care of him anymore. In Philly, he must choose between a criminal life and his father’s city cowboy subculture.

Transitions between scenes are very smooth and they work perfectly to depict a rural environment inserted in the suburbs of a big modern American city. In this way, Staub creates a gloomy atmosphere by using a glossy and dark color treatment, especially when something negative is about to happen.