21 Bridges

21 Bridges

Starring Chadwick Boseman, Sienna Miller, J.K. Simmons, Stephan James

Directed by Brian Kirk

There's been countless policier films, and the majority of them are decent thrillers during their runtime, but become forgettable as time passes.  "21 Bridges," directed by Brian Kirk and produced by "Avengers: Endgame" directors Joe and Anthony Russo, falls nicely into that category.  It's pulse-pounding, full of suspense, and provides a strong performance by Chadwick Boseman, but the story is so simplistic and easy that you'll forget it a few days after seeing it - but again, it's a fun ride when you're watching it.

The film follows Detective Andre Davis (Chadwick Boseman), who became a cop after his father was killed in the line of duty when he was a kid.  He's known for killing criminals who kill cops, and a case just fell on his lap that plays to his legacy: eight cops were shot and killed by robbers Michael (Stephan James) and Ray (Taylor Kitsch), and Captain Matt McKenna (J.K. Simmons) wants them brought to vigilante justice so as to spare the fallen cops' families the pain of trial.  Davis agrees to help, and narcotics detective Frankie Burns (Sienna Miller) is also brought in to assist.  Davis is highly intelligent and uses his wits more than his brawn to find the perpetrators, and deduces that they're still in Manhattan, so he orders all the bridges closed so they won't escape.  As the two men go on the run, they learn there's something shady in the robbery they were tasked in doing, and Davis as well has his doubts about what is happening, and discovers that there's much more than just a burglary gone wrong - and it could bring the entire police force down. 

As I said, this is the type of cop film that you've seen before, and follows the same predictable patterns that several movies of this same genre follow and doesn't offer any particular twists and turns, but rather runs on a straight narrative.   There's more than meets the eye, and anyone who's seen even one episode of "Law & Order" will pick up on it almost right away as things don't appear normal from the get-go, so there's no real spoilers in divulging that this isn't just a simple good guys versus bad guys cop film.

The two standout performances rest with Chadwick Boseman's Andre Davis, a man who's very meticulous and methodical, who uses his brains to deduce things that not everyone sees and who seeks out truth and justice at any cost.  You feel his pain as he carries the legacy of his father on his shoulders, and Boseman also endures the typical physical challenges for a film like this as he runs through the streets, gets hit by cars, and is repeatedly shot at.  Basically he's the perfect cop - honest, intelligent, and fearless.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Stephan James's Michael Trujillo, who was one of the two robbers who killed the police officers.  He begins to realize that it wasn't all a coincidence and that there's a deeper story to be told, and it's interesting that he's given a more sympathetic feel than most cop killers in films are, while also not condoning his actions.

The rest of the cast pretty much moves to the beat of their typical character roles.  Sienna Miller is the gruff, no-nonsense narcotics detective.  J.K. Simmons appears here and there as the Captain who wants the cop killers dead.  Taylor Kitsch is the other robber who pretty much does all the killings and is more hotheaded than Michael.  Each one adds to the story but not in any grandiose way.

The film's setting showcases New York City's seedy underbelly in the dead of night, which proves that the city lives up to its name of The City That Never Sleeps.  Even at two in the morning there's activity going on everywhere, and the idea of the entire island getting shut down to find two cop killers is very intriguing and suspenseful, and reminded me of the real life manhunt for the two Boston Marathon bombers when they pretty much shut down the entire city to find them.  You see the urban jungle in all its darkness, and yet still gives off a beacon of hope that you can't run from your sins, and eventually justice will find you.

With an excellent performance by Chadwick Boseman and nonstop action, "21 Bridges" continues the tradition of cop action films that deliver an enjoyable time, but also doesn't add anything new or exciting to make it memorable for long.

The Score: A-