21 Bridges

[The Great Owl]

19 years after his policeman father was killed in the line of duty, Andre Davis, a New York City detective played by Chadwick Boseman, has a track record for not hesitating to open fire when just cause presents itself, and he confidently defends his moral code during an Internal Affairs investigation. When eight of his fellow cops are brutally gunned down by two small-time criminals, played by Taylor Kitsch and Stephan James, during a botched cocaine robbery, our battle-ready protagonist appears to be the perfect man to arrive on the scene. With a narcotics officer, played by Sienna Miller, at his side, Andre orchestrates an intense manhunt by locking down Manhattan and closing its bridges to prevent any any entrance or exit. As the walls of the law tighten in on the perpetrators, however, the detective realizes that there is more to this tragic massacre than meets the eye.

The 2019 crime thriller, 21 Bridges, directed by Brian Kirk (Game of Thrones) and co-produced by the Russo Brothers (Avengers: Endgame), initially comes across as a throwback to Dirty Harry or the endless gritty imitators that populated the 1970s when major cities were marked by an atmosphere of sleaze. With its present-day aura, however, this fast-paced outing opens to sleek images of New York City from above, as if to emphasize the notion that contemporary societies have built a world in which nobody can afford to live. The metropolis may be revitalized and renovated, but the exasperation shown by the protectors of the 85th Precinct, namely a police captain played excellently by J.K. Simmons, is still tangibly evident.

The plot developments here are telegraphed from a mile away so that astute filmgoers will be able to predict every beat, but that does not prevent this endeavor from being a riveting and action-packed 99-minute offering for fans of New York City cop stories. I believe that 21 Bridges is at its fiery best during the early sequences, when its police procedural plows forward in the vein of 1950s film noir classics, but the center still holds even when debatably plausible conspiracy elements surface during the final half.

Boseman, who captivated audiences with the titular role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe entry, Black Panther, and the Avengers sequels that followed, has an undeniably rugged, yet stylish charisma. My favorite moments of this movie are the ones that show his character, who is just as revenge-obsessed as his uniformed comrades, taking the time to think things through. The narrative may not reinvent the wheel, but this actor's talents nonetheless pave the way for a thrilling and surprisingly character-driven ride.

This Universal Studios Blu-ray looks and sounds great, with a finely detailed presentation. A commentary track by the director and editor is the lion's roar of the slim supplementary pickings, which also include deleted scenes and a trailer, but the main feature is one that I'll return to multiple times in the future when I'm up for a straightforward Saturday afternoon flick.