There are 21 Bridges in and out of the island of Manhattan. So what do you do when eight police officers are massacred in one night. Well, firstly, you better get the toughest most badass detective in the whole of New York. One that is not afraid to Kill, let's say kind of like a Dirty Harry character.
Then, lockdown the island by closing all 21 Bridges so that the Police can weed out the two gun-toting killers. But something is not quite as it seems and it's down to detective Andre Davies to find out the truth.
It's fair to say, that there have been plenty of cop thrillers made over the years. Generally following two formulas, buddy cop or a tough lone cop who stops at nothing to take down the bad guys, no matter who they are. 21 Bridges firmly sits in the latter. But whilst sticking to this formula, 21 Bridges drags it into the twenty-first century and actually does a solid job.
The first thing that attracted me to 21 Bridges, is that the Russo Brothers are the Producers. So, as a fan of all of their work, I was keen to see this. However, they did not have any input in the screenplay or the direction and it shows.
But, that's not to say the direction is poor. Because the direction is perfect from Brian Kirk, slick, suitably paced, and just the right backstory to the characters, including the bad guys. Plus, the camera work is great, piling up the action with shootouts and long chase scenes that succeed in keeping you on the edge of your seat.
Another crowd-pleaser for 21 Bridges, is the ton of familiar faces cast in the film. Black Panther star, Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom) grabs the lead role with both hands and delivers a powerful performance.
Sienna Miller plays a weasely drugs agent who is strangely paired up with Detective Andre Davies to take down the bad guys. Taylor Kitsch (The Defeated) and Stephan James do a great job with their roles as the two killers on the run.
Plus with a support list of J. K. Simmons, Keith David, and for the Star Trek fans Alexander Siddig, you know you are on the right track.
So, is 21 Bridges any good? Well, put simply yes. But don't expect it to knock your socks off, as an American police thriller goes, it does everything that it should.
However, there is nothing new at all to take away from this film. There are plenty of nods to other great cop movies and a few good twists in the story. But it is a tad predictable. Let's say I don't expect 21 Bridges to be receiving any awards.
