21 Bridges

Score:  B-

Directed by Brian Kirk
Starring Chadwick Boseman, Sienna Miller, Stephan James, J.K. Simmons
Running time: 110 minutes
Rated R

Long Story Short:  21 Bridges is a cop thriller, but it demands attention well beyond that mere label due to the people attached to it.  Chadwick Boseman, now a full-fledged star, is very good in the lead role, and he's supported by quite a bit of other talent, from Sienna Miller to J.K. Simmons.  While this won't make for an enduring classic, the exciting first part of the film and committed performances throughout make it worth a try if you're in the mood.


When police officers are gunned down in a drug robbery gone wrong, detective Andre Davis (Boseman) is brought in in the wee hours of the night.  Davis is infamous as a cop-killer avenger, and after assessing the grisly scene, convinces both his department superiors and New York's mayor to shut down the island of Manhattan while he hunts down the culprits.  Despite having the full force of the NYPD at his disposal, Davis has just a few hours to exploit the trap he's set, and complicating factors - both personal and professional - put his skills to the test.

21 Bridges has an impressive cast, one that gives the film its life but is also restrained from using its full talent.  Chadwick Boseman plays the lead police detective, and he is a steady, compelling focus for this cop thriller.  Having played a variety of both well-known historical (Jackie Robinson, etc.) and otherwise powerful (Black Panther) characters, Boseman has an easy command of the screen.  His detective is a level-headed, talented and sympathetic hero, though the script could have thrown in a bit more vulnerability.  At any rate, he's believable and engaging in the role.  His partner, a narcotics agent, is played by Sienna Miller in a much grittier role than I've come to expect from the actress.  It took me some time to even recognize her, in fact, and she is quite committed to her hard-nosed, at times ruthless, character.  Makes for a good contrast with Boseman's Davis.  Stephan James plays a cop killer, who gets substantial screentime attempting to hideout and flee through the city.  He's portrayed fairly sympathetically, probably overly so, but he does a fine job.  J.K. Simmons gets the final significant role, as captain of the slain officers.  As expected he has an easy air of authority, and nicely shows the conflict between the grief and rage he feels at the crime and his sworn duties.  There are several other smaller roles, the only one worth mentioning being Alexander Siddig's criminal fixer, who makes his cliched role interesting.

Entertaining and solidly made, 21 Bridges doesn't nearly reach its full potential and so is a fine if disposable experience.  For a fairly formulaic movie, this has an impressively talented set of people behind it.  Along with the stars in the cast, it's produced by Anthony and Joe Russo, of Avengers fame, and directed by a newcomer to the big screen in Brian Kirk (who still has great experience with TV projects from Game of Thrones to Luther).  To the extent they're able, these filmmakers provide a gripping and absorbing trip to the theater.  Exposition and introduction is kept to a minimum, while still providing a bit of foreshadowing; it quickly jumps to the harrowing shoot out that triggers the frantic hunt lasting most of the rest of the film.  Tight and tense direction of these bloody scenes, followed by the urgency of Boseman and others in the minutes that follow, are the strongest, most intense in the film.  Unfortunately, Bridges can't maintain that energy and momentum.  There are a few exciting moments later, but the action is mostly predictable, plot- and dialogue-laden affairs (which the actors, again, make as good as they can).  Worse, it becomes apparent, sooner or later, that the whole endeavor is a bit empty.  I don't want to give many specifics, because in the moment excitement and revelations are the main draw here.  Most of the dialogue is decent, if perhaps a bit cliched, particularly later on, but still better than most of its peers.  But once you start thinking beyond the scene-to-scene view of the film, it's disappointingly thin.  As the dramatic stakes lower, the story becomes more formulaic, perhaps just trying to give the proceedings some meat, but of course this doesn't work out too well.  Still, the actors remain committed throughout, and the film does not drag out at all; as I've been writing, if anything you're left wanting a bit more.

***

21 Bridges is a fine film, a good change of pace in this season of Oscar contenders and blockbusters.  More and more, I feel that a film with talented people I enjoy is worth taking a risk even if it's lower-rated (21 Bridges has a borderline 50% Rotten Tomatoes score) or simply taking a different direction than I'm used to.  Produced by Anthony and Joe Russo, whose Avengers I enjoyed so much, and featuring one of today's brightest stars in Chadwick Boseman, I was definitely on board for this, even though I was less enthusiastic about other factors.  I wouldn't rush out to the theater to see this, but it makes a perfectly enjoyable experience if you aren't inspired by (or have already seen) other options.  I doubt I'll ever see this again, but I also don't regret seeing it once; worth giving it a try!




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