''21 Bridges'' is a 2019 American

action thriller film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

directed by Brian Kirk and written by Adam Mervis and Matthew Michael Carnahan, based on a story by Mervis. The film stars

Chadwick Boseman Chadwick Aaron Boseman (; November 29, 1976August 28, 2020) was an American actor. During his two-decade career, Boseman received two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award, ...

as an

NYPD The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

Detective who shuts down the 21 river crossings of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

to find two suspected cop killers, portrayed by Stephan James and

Taylor Kitsch Taylor Kitsch (born April 8, 1981) is a Canadian actor and model who has portrayed Tim Riggins in the NBC television series '' Friday Night Lights'' (2006–2011). He has also worked in films such as '' X-Men Origins: Wolverine'' (2009), ''Battle ...

Sienna Miller Sienna Rosie Diana Miller (born December 28, 1981) is an American-British actress. Born in New York City and raised in London, she began her career as a photography model, appearing in the pages of Italian '' Vogue'' and for the 2003 Pirelli c ...

Keith David Keith David Williams (born June 4, 1956) is an American actor. He is known for his signature deep voice and commanding screen presence in over 300 roles across film, stage, television, and interactive media. He has starred in such films as '' T ...

and

J. K. Simmons Jonathan Kimble Simmons (born January 9, 1955) is an American actor, considered one of the most prolific and well-established character actors of his generation. He has appeared in over 200 films and television roles since his debut in 1986. He i ...

appear in supporting roles. The film was produced by brothers Joe and Anthony Russo,

Mike Larocca Mike Larocca is an American film and television producer. He is currently President and Vice Chairman of the Russo Brothers' AGBO AGBO (also known as Gozie AGBO) is an independent film and television production company led by Anthony and Joe ...

Robert Simonds Robert Bruce Simonds Jr. (born 1964) is an American film producer, entrepreneur, and the founder & chairman of STX Entertainment, which creates, produces, distributes, finances, and markets film (as STXfilms), television (as STXtelevision), dig ...

Gigi Pritzker Gigi Pritzker (born July 27, 1962) is an American billionaire and film producer. She is a member of the Pritzker family. Pritzker is co-founder of the film production and financing company Odd Lot Entertainment, producing several films includi ...

, Boseman (in his only producing credit) and Logan Coles. The project was announced as ''17 Bridges'' in July 2018. Principal photography began on September 24, 2018 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, primarily

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, and also took place in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, Pennsylvania. Several members of the cast joined the film in October 2018, including James and David. ''21 Bridges'' was theatrically released in the United States on November 22, 2019, by STXfilms. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $49 million worldwide on a $33 million production budget.

Plot

Andre Davis is a successful

Detective like his father, who was murdered on duty when Davis was 13. Struggling with his father's legacy, Davis has earned a reputation for killing several criminals over the years, although he claims they were all in

self-defense Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force ...

and is uncomfortable with the label. One night, Michael Trujillo and Ray Jackson, two small-time criminals and ex-

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

soldiers, attempt to steal 30 kilograms of

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...

from a

wine shop A liquor store is a retail shop that predominantly sells prepackaged liquors – typically in bottles – usually intended to be consumed off the store's premises. Depending on region and local idiom, they may also be called an off-licence (i ...

. They find three hundred instead, and when a group of officers from the NYPD's 85th Precinct arrives, Ray guns them down in a shootout, killing seven and wounding another, who later dies in the hospital. After they escape into

with 50 kilograms, Michael chastises Ray for putting them in jeopardy by killing cops. Assigned to the case, Davis and NYPD Narcotics Detective Frankie Burns come into conflict with Sgt. Butchco and Sgt. Dugan, who attempt to allow

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

Special Agents to take it over. Reasoning that the criminals would have to sell the cocaine in Manhattan before escaping the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

, Davis secures the reluctant approval of the Deputy Mayor, the FBI, and the precinct's head, Captain McKenna, for Manhattan Island to be locked down until 5 a.m. As Ray and Michael go with their

liaison Liaison means communication between two or more groups, or co-operation or working together. Liaison or liaisons may refer to: General usage * Affair, an unfaithful sexual relationship * Collaboration * Co-operation Arts and entertainment * Li ...

, Bush, to meet their buyer, Hawk, who gives them $1 million, Davis and Burns manage to identify all three. Bush is soon gunned down by Butchco and Dugan in a

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

. After catching Butchco

planting Sowing is the process of planting seeds. An area or object that has had seeds planted in it will be described as a sowed or sown area. Plants which are usually sown Among the major field crops, oats, wheat, and rye are sown, grasses and leg ...

his backup sidearm on Bush's body and briefly scuffling with him, Davis becomes more suspicious of his colleagues. Adi, a

money launderer Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdicti ...

, gives Michael and Ray new identities and tells them to depart for

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

the next morning. However, before he can secure their money in an offshore account, a team of NYPD officers led by

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

Kelly manages to locate and raid his apartment. Adi is mortally wounded but gives Michael two

flash drive A flash drive is a portable computer drive that uses flash memory. Flash drives are the larger memory modules consisting of a number of flash chips. A flash chip is used to read the contents of a single cell, but it can write entire block of cell ...

s and their password. Davis and Burns catch up to Michael and Ray; after accidentally killing a civilian, Ray is fatally wounded by Davis. Michael holds Burns at gunpoint, telling Davis about the drives and how suspicious everything is, before escaping. Burns scolds Davis for letting Michael escape despite Davis' reputation. In a

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

room, Michael unlocks the drives, realizing that McKenna's precinct was involved in trafficking the drugs from the winery and earning profits for it, and that some of the cops he and Ray had killed in the shootout had been

corrupt Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

. After another chase where Michael abandons his money, Davis manages to corner him on a subway train and convinces him to surrender, promising to keep him alive. Burns, who has also boarded the train, suddenly shoots Michael, claiming when he berates her that she thought Michael was still holding Davis at gunpoint. Michael secretly gives Davis the drives and password before dying. As the police congratulate the two for their efforts, Davis discovers that Burns had contacted Kelly before Adi's apartment was raided. The next morning, McKenna returns home to find Davis holding him at gunpoint, having accessed the drives. McKenna explains that the officers went into drug trafficking because they were struggling to survive on a measly pay. Davis, refusing to walk away, kills the arriving Butchco, Dugan and Kelly – who were all on McKenna's payroll – then McKenna, who refuses to surrender. Burns, whom Davis deduced was also allied with McKenna, appears from behind and holds Davis at gunpoint, but surrenders after Davis reveals that he had already leaked the information online, exposing all the corrupt cops in New York, and reasons that her daughter would live without her mother should she get a life sentence for killing him. In the aftermath, Davis solemnly drives along the Manhattan Bridge in the sunset, taking the drives with him.

Cast

Production

On July 11, 2018, it was announced that

would star in the film, then known under the title ''17 Bridges'', with Brian Kirk directing.

and

were cast in September. Chris Pratt, Andrew Koji,

Will Yun Lee William Yun Lee (born March 22, 1971) is an American actor and martial artist. He is best known for his roles as Danny Woo in the supernatural drama ''Witchblade ''Witchblade'' is a comic book series published by Top Cow Productions, an ...

, and

Lewis Tan Lewis Singwah Tan (born 4 February 1987) is an English actor and martial artist best known for portraying Lu Xin Lee in Netflix's ''Wu Assassins'', Shatterstar in ''Deadpool 2'' (2018), Gaius Chau in AMC's '' Into the Badlands'' and Cole Youn ...

were also considered for roles. Filming began on September 24, with production occurring between

and

, Morocco Omari, Stephan James and Jamie Neumann joined in October 2018. Sienna Miller would later reveal just after his death that Boseman donated part of his salary to her in order to have her fairly compensated when STX did not meet her requested pay.

Henry Jackman Henry Pryce Jackman (born 1974) is an English composer. He composed music for films such as '' Kong: Skull Island'', '' X-Men: First Class'', ''Winnie the Pooh'', ''Wreck-It Ralph'', ''Puss in Boots'', '' Monsters vs. Aliens'', '' Captain Phi ...

and Alex Belcher composed the film score, with the soundtrack being released by

Sony Classical Records Sony Classical is an American record label founded in 1924 as Columbia Masterworks Records, a subsidiary of Columbia Records. In 1980, the Columbia Masterworks label was renamed as CBS Masterworks Records. The CBS Records Group was acquired by S ...

Release

''21 Bridges'' was released in the United States and Canada on November 22, 2019. It was previously scheduled to be released on July 12 and September 27, 2019. The film was released in digital download on February 4, 2020 and also released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

and

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...

on February 18, 2020. Over its first two weeks of release the film totaled $3.2 million in sales.

Reception

Box office

''21 Bridges'' grossed $28.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $21.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $49.9 million, against a production budget of $33 million. In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside ''

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood ''A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood'' is a 2019 American biographical drama film directed by Marielle Heller and written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster, inspired by the 1998 article "Can You Say... Hero?" by Tom Junod, published in ...

'' and ''

Frozen II ''Frozen 2'' (stylized as ''Frozen II'') is a 2019 American computer-animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The 58th animated film produced by the studi ...

'', and was projected to gross $10–12 million from 2,655 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $3.3 million on its first day, including $770,000 from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $9.3 million, finishing fourth at the box office. The film fell 37% in its second weekend, making $5.8 million and finishing sixth.

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average score of . The website's critics consensus reads, "''21 Bridges'' covers its beat competently enough, but given its impressive cast, this cop thriller should be more arresting than it is." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, the film has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those at

PostTrak PostTrak is a U.S.-based service that surveys film audiences for film studios. History The service conducts surveys in the top 20 markets in the U.S. and Canada with the use of polling cards and electronic kiosks. A PostTrak report for a film ...

gave it an average 4 out of 5 stars, with 57% saying they would definitely recommend it.

References

External links

* {{Anthony and Joe Russo 2019 films 2019 action thriller films 2019 crime thriller films American action thriller films American crime action films American crime thriller films American police films Casting controversies in film Salary controversies in film Films about cocaine Films about the New York City Police Department Films about police brutality Films about police corruption Films about police misconduct Films scored by Henry Jackman Films set in New York City Films set in Manhattan Films set in Brooklyn Films shot in New York City Films shot in Philadelphia Films with screenplays by Matthew Michael Carnahan Hood films STX Entertainment films Films directed by Brian Kirk 2010s English-language films 2010s American films