Movie Review - 21 Bridges

The title of this film is a reference to Manhattan and the number of ways one can drive off it. Despite that title though, this film isn't really about Manhattan, which is fine, given that it was mainly shot in Philadelphia. The film is about the police, what they do, why they do it and what they're relationships are among each other. This has been the subject of several films. Like so many action flicks, it's a chase and battle between cops and robbers. This film adds an extra layer that makes it also about police corruption, which is a frequent theme in films. It's been a frequent theme since Serpico (1973). Yes, there have been police corruption films going back to The Big Heat (1953), but there have been numerous since the 70's like L.A. Confidential (1997), Cop Land (1997), Training Day (2001) and The Departed (2006). There was even a corrupt cop movie this summer called Black and Blue (2019). This film though doesn't provide any more insight into police corruption than what we've seen before. The corruption stuff isn't as big of a thrust, as the film is just about cops chasing criminals and not just any criminals, criminals who have killed cops.

Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther and 42) stars as Andre Davis, a detective in the NYPD. He seems to work in the homicide division, specifically the homicide of police officers. In the start of the film, he's questioned about a shooting where he killed an alleged, cop killer. Nineteen years earlier, we see that Andre's father was a cop who was killed in the line of duty. That factoid of his life seems to be what's driving him now. Andre is smart, dedicated and perhaps a tad bit angry, stemming from his past trauma, as well as people questioning his motives or his actions.

The screenplay by Adam Mervis and Matthew Michael Carnahan doesn't really delve too much deeper into the question of what Andre's motives are. When a new case arrives of multiple cops, meaning more than a half-dozen, are all murdered in a matter of a few minutes, Andre's motives don't seem to be akin to the other cops and detectives who clearly want revenge. If anything, Andre is stoic or at least tries to put on the facade of being objective, which might be how he truly feels. However, the film would have been more interesting dramatically, if we saw a bit of a struggle or conflict within Andre about what his motives are or have been.

Sienna Miller (American Sniper and The Lost City of Z) co-stars as Frankie Burns, a detective with the narcotics division of the NYPD. She's called to the crime scene because it seems as if the cops who were murdered were trying to stop a cocaine heist. She's more or less a tag along. We learn that she has a daughter, but we don't really get much more about her. Because of the structure of this film, which takes place all in one night, and because of the thrust of the film being all about the plot, the film never has a chance to slow down or even pause to allow us to get to know or invest anything in Frankie.

Recently, Netflix released a film that was a sequel to the hit TV series Breaking Bad. It was called El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie. It focused on a criminal who was wanted by the cops and who had to find a way of escaping. This film essentially becomes the same thing. It doesn't stay limited to the cops' perspective. It shifts point-of-view to the criminals and we follow them in their mad dash to get away with the murders and the millions of dollars in cocaine theft. El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie had a whole TV series on which its characters could stand. It's not to say this movie couldn't have established its criminals and had us feel something for them or at least one of them. Again, the film needed to slow down or pause to do so, and it never really does.

Stephan James (If Beale Street Could Talk and Homecoming) also stars as Michael Trujillo, as one of the two criminals on the run. He thinks that he's going to rob a restaurant and steal some cocaine being held inside. He knows that the drugs are being held there by a powerful organization, so he and his partner go there fully armed with high-powered weapons. It helps that Michael is military trained and is a veteran, having served overseas in the marines. He is surprised when all of a sudden four cops show up, unprompted. It's clear that he and his partner will have to shoot their way out. However, Michael is hesitant to shoot any cops. His partner, Ray Jackson, played by Taylor Kitsch (Lone Survivor and John Carter), does most if not all the cop-killing.

Now, the film could have done more to connect what Michael and Ray were doing, compared to what we will later see corrupt cops doing. Michael and Ray are former marines, servicemen who prior to this are supposed to be respected. The corrupt cops are also people who are supposed to be respected. Yet, we see both turn to crime. There are reasons for respected men in uniform turning to crime to which the film gives lip service at the end. The film comes close to making us feel those reasons with Michael, but unfortunately, the film never quite lands it.

Rated R for language and violence throughout.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 39 mins.