★★★
An embattled NYPD detective is thrust into a citywide manhunt for a pair of cop killers after uncovering a massive and unexpected conspiracy.
Classification: 15
A solid sturdy action thriller from director Brian Kirk, a man with plenty of television credits under the belt including Game of Thrones and Penny Dreadful but 21 Bridges is his first foray on the big screen. The film following Chadwick Boseman's detective Andre Davis, a notorious "cop killer hunter" on a night that sees the island of Manhattan shut down after a robbery gone wrong, neither exceeds or fails at what it sets out to do. There's enough action in its predictable story to keep the premise interesting with Stephan James and Taylor Kitsch as the aforementioned "cop killers" find themselves in plenty of firefights both against the police and Boseman's relentless detective.
21 Bridges feels very cliché and unoriginal and it doesn't help that Kirk and the screenwriters dollop a heavy amount of "New York" on the film. If the opening five minutes didn't properly declare that the film is set in New York City than the rest of the film is clear overcompensation for something because every plot point, location and accent are so heavily New York. It's hard to take anything about the film seriously despite the heavy body count because Kirk's vision for the film is more akin to a police procedural. However, 21 Bridges doesn't want to aspire to any form of authenticity or to be a deep commentary on modern law enforcement in America which makes its attempts to address corruption and violence hollow and unearned. Playing into both positive and negative stereotypes around police officers that leave the dramatic weight meandering in mediocrity because Kirk doesn't commit to any specific tone. The film too serious to be played as over the top action but to conventional to be considered compelling drama.
This mediocrity seeps into the performances as 21 Bridges would seem like an opportunity for Boseman to stretch his legs post Black Panther and capitalise on his star power. But his charisma lacking, hackneyed "plays by his own rules" cop Andre Davis is a blank canvas of a character that does nothing to make the film exciting. Boseman is wasted as the script gives him nothing to work with, his character more reactionary than investigative in capturing James and Kitsch's characters. Whatever great skills and reputation Davis had is filled in by exposition but Boseman does nothing to make his character memorable in his own film. Co-stars Sienna Miller and J.K Simmons are reduced to walking clichés with Miller as a no-nonsense lady detective that is completely defeminised so she can be "one of the guys" with a thick New York accent. Simmons as the captain of the precinct which housed the murdered police officers and wants Boseman to bring him justice, classic "boys in blue" solidarity.
Some may think that by cutting the narrative between Boseman's investigation and James and Kitsch's attempts to escape Manhattan lessens the tension of the ticking clock but it turns out to be 21 Bridges saving grace. Stephan James' performance as reluctant cocaine thief and accessory to murder Michael Trujillo is the best part of the film and Kirk putting a large focus of the runtime on him balances out the more dubious elements. Nothing about James' performance is groundbreaking, with his dialogue and motivations being customary but James is the only actor that expresses believable emotion and doesn't feel like a caricature. When the real motivations of James' storyline become clear 21 Bridges takes on unintended reverence as the film revolves around a lone black man being hunted by an enraged police force.
Nothing spectacular about it and those brief moments where it could have evolved into something great are few and far between. 21 Bridges seems content in its mediocrity from a filmmaking standpoint delivering typical action sequences of gunfights, unfortunately, none taking part on any of Manhattan's many bridges. No one looks overtly cool during any part of the film but nothing reaches a point where it becomes insultingly unbearable even when its twists are easily seen coming from miles away. It doesn't try to be John Wick or The Fugitive but its lack of creative spirit is what makes 21 Bridges so frustratingly consistent yet forgettable. It's just solid, not trying to be anything else and somehow not trying to be anything at all, nothing but a numbed expanse of predictable events that keeps you engaged solely because of recognisable actors and occasional gunfire.
Director: #BrianKirk
Cast: #ChadwickBoseman, #SiennaMiller, #StephanJames, #KeithDavid, #TaylorKitsch, #AlexanderSiddig, #JKSimmons
Release Date: November 22nd 2019
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database
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