21 bridges movie review rotten tomatoes

“21 Bridges” begins with the funeral of a cop, a uniformed officer who took out three of the men who shot at him before falling. That cop’s young son is there, and he’ll grow up to be the police detective André Davis, played by Chadwick Boseman , on whose shoulders this movie’s narrative will roll. The sermon is passionate, the grieving deep. Director Brian Kirk cuts to an overhead shot of the outside of the church. The kind of thing you’ve now seen hundreds of times, taken from a drone, looking directly down on the scene from a great height. But it’s not like every other drone shot because the cut occurs directly before the moment that the hundreds of cops outside the church snap a perfectly synchronized salute. This is a drone shot that justifies its existence with a significant action, one that demonstrates with action the full import of this event.

It’s this kind of mindful direction and editing that helps make “21 Bridges” one of the most entertaining and thoughtful American policiers in recent memory. Boseman, who also is a co-producer of the movie, does a lot of running and driving and gun-pointing and car-hood slamming here, but his character also does a lot of thinking—and a lot of maneuvering. While there’s not a lot of explicit talk about race, he’s positioned as an African-American cop entering territory that’s all the more dangerous because of his skin color. “21 Bridges” is again very smart in making that more implicit than explicit.

The lawbreakers here, and boy do they ever break the law, are a white guy and a black guy: Taylor Kitsch (who’s finding a fruitful niche in character roles) and Stephan James are armed-to-the-teeth small-timers who break into a restaurant to lift 30 kilos of cocaine from its freezer. Only it’s more like 100 kilos, and a near-army of cops comes to stope them. A massacre ensues, and it’s Davis, who has a history of shootings that gets Internal Affairs’ hackles up, that’s dispatched to track them.

That works fine for J.K. Simmons, as the captain of the dead cops, who expects Davis to take the killers out once he finds them. Davis has a late-night strategy: close off Manhattan (hence the title—this entails shutting down 21 bridges, a major inconvenience even in the wee hours of the morning) and “flood the island with blue.” One blue Davis doesn’t want with him is a narcotics detective and single mother played by Sienna Miller , but she says “you can use me or fight me” and given how eager NYPD brass is for her to be there, he capitulates.

You sense that some things are amiss here? So do the robbers played by Kitsch and James, who are a lot more sympathetically portrayed than most cop killers tend to be. Not that “21 Bridges” condones their actions. But once the bad guys find themselves in a safe house, with a “cleaner” whose last instructions to the fellows is to take a couple of thumb drives with them on the way ahead of the other cops on their tail, the Something Rotten In Denmark theme takes definite hold. Piecing things together, Davis realizes that he’s got to keep at least one of these guys alive.

The script, by Adam Mervis and Matthew Michael Carnahan , doesn’t seek to spin the viewer’s head with a lot of twists. Instead, it aims to keep you invested in Boseman/Davis’ own ratiocinations and the moral imperatives he attaches to each new discovery he makes. But, of course, the movie is also about standoff, shoot-outs, foot chases, car chases, and more. Which Kirk delivers in tight, economic style. And all in less than an hour and forty minutes. These days it’s no small feat to tie up an intelligent action thriller with such assuredness, and it’s refreshing to see. 

Glenn Kenny

Glenn Kenny was the chief film critic of Premiere magazine for almost half of its existence. He has written for a host of other publications and resides in Brooklyn. Read his answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

• Chadwick Boseman as Andre Davis
• Jamie Neumann as Leigh
• Morocco Omari as Antoine Mott
• Gary Carr as Hawk
• Shayna Ryan as Press
• Adam Mervis
• Matthew Michael Carnahan

Original Music Composer

• Henry Jackman

Director of Photography

• Paul Cameron
• Tim Murrell

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An embattled NYPD detective is thrust into a citywide manhunt for a pair of cop killers after uncovering a massive and unexpected conspiracy. An embattled NYPD detective is thrust into a citywide manhunt for a pair of cop killers after uncovering a massive and unexpected conspiracy. An embattled NYPD detective is thrust into a citywide manhunt for a pair of cop killers after uncovering a massive and unexpected conspiracy.

• Adam Mervis
• Matthew Michael Carnahan
• Chadwick Boseman
• Sienna Miller
• J.K. Simmons
• 544 User reviews
• 173 Critic reviews
• 51 Metascore
• 2 nominations

Top cast 99+

• Andre Davis

• Frankie Burns

• Captain McKenna

• Deputy Chief Spencer

• Deputy Mayor Mott

• Mosto's Manager - Tom Cheaver

• Young Andre

• Young Vonetta Davis

• Leigh's Boyfriend

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• Trivia Chadwick Boseman donated part of his own salary for this film to secure Sienna Miller as a co-star when the studio refused to match her salary demands.
• Goofs When police cars were rushing into Chinatown, those who can read Chinese can clearly see that the sign on the archway above reads "Philadelphia Chinatown", not the Manhattan Chinatown in which the story took place. In fact, New York City's Chinatown does not have an archway.

Andre Davis : We got twenty-one bridges in and out of Manhattan. Shut them down. Three rivers. Close them. Four tunnels. Block them. Stop every train and loop the subways. Then, we flood the island with blue.

• Connections Featured in NFL Monday Night Football: Week 9: Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants (2019)
• Soundtracks Crema, Crema Written by Francisco Rosado Rosario Performed by Pirulo Y La Tribu Courtesy of Universal Music Latin Entertainment under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User reviews 544

• redrobin62-321-207311
• Feb 6, 2020
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• When describing the robbers military history, it refers to them as Army, but then shows pictures of men wearing Marine uniforms? Why?
• Why was Philadelphia used to portray NYC?
• November 22, 2019 (United States)
• United States
• Official site (Japan)
• STXfilms (United States)
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA (primary location)
• Huayi Brothers Media
• Huayi Brothers
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $33,000,000 (estimated)
• $28,539,757
• Nov 24, 2019
• $49,939,757

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• Runtime 1 hour 39 minutes

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’21 bridges’: film review.

THR review: Chadwick Boseman and Sienna Miller star in '21 Bridges,' a violent New York City cop thriller directed by Brian Kirk and produced by the Russo brothers.

By Todd McCarthy

Todd McCarthy

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Unlikely, far-fetched and downright preposterous events duke it out for bragging rights in  21 Bridges ,  104 minutes of nocturnal big-city crime action that’s amped up to a borderline ridiculous level of nearly uninterrupted violence.

The story suggests something that Michael Mann might have done in the 1990s, but he would have included a lot more than just showing good guys and bad guys careening around Manhattan. Of course there’s a reliable audience for relentless mayhem and the presence at the top of the ticket of Black Panther himself, Chadwick Boseman , assures an automatic audience. Still, it’s depressing to ponder why the actor-producer would choose to make this sort of cookie-cutter commercial drivel when he could do something more challenging and meaningful in between Marvel assignments.

Release date: Nov 22, 2019

The only backstory offered up is that New York police detective Andre Davis’ policeman father was killed on the job when his son was 13. Nineteen years later, Andre (Boseman) is a top cop, serious, authoritative and, as we shall soon see, relentless. His mother is in a care facility with dementia, but she’s still able to advise her son, “You gotta look the devil in the eye.”

If he’s able to do that, Andre can no doubt do the same with the big city’s criminal element, which gets busy just after midnight one night when two nasty guys turn up at a fancy Brooklyn boîte and violently help themselves to a very large stash of uncut coke, which is stored in the restaurant even though it’s not on the menu. Stylishly brutal mayhem ensues, as the thugs, played by Stephen James and Taylor Kitsch, the latter a total psycho, recklessly head off into the night while the police deal with the dead and detritus left behind. It doesn’t take long for the perps to be ID’d on TV.

That’s the simple setup for a very long night of overtime for Andre and narcotics detective Frankie Burns ( Sienna Miller ). As with Andre and his dead dad, she is allotted one identifying character trait, which is that she’s a single mom. Pursuing their prey into Manhattan (after this film there will be no excuse not to know how many bridges connect the island with the rest of the world), Andre figures that the coke will be sold off within three or four hours and convinces his bosses to close off all bridges and subway tunnels. “Then we flood the island with blue,” but only until 5 a.m.

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At this point,  21 Bridges  becomes a pumped-up beat-the-clock thriller with the cops hunting down the nasties through the naked city that never sleeps (well, all-night subway drivers can at least catch a nap). The pursuit is spiked by a number of violent confrontations and altercations, and you can’t say that British director Brian Kirk, whose résumé includes a lot of high-end television such as Luther , Game of Thrones , Boardwalk Empire and Penny Dreadful , isn’t up to the occasion of staging impactful heavy artillery shootouts and close-quarters fights. 

But the script by Adam Mervis and Matthew Michael Carnahan does feel tiresomely by-the-numbers, with dialogue notable only for its street-dumb vulgarities and a structure built to guarantee moments of brutal violence and desperate action every few minutes. The film’s latter stages steer off to stress a cynical sense of endemic corruption throughout the entire police force, placing a sort of “Last Good Cop” halo over Andre’s head while a seen-it-all police captain (J.K. Simmons) delivers the sadly cynical lowdown on the way of the world. 

The ever-righteous profile maintained by Boseman’s detective gets to be a bit limiting after a while; if anything was going to have multiple dimensions in this pic, it should have been him, but the script is instead built around the goal of providing maximum movement and hoped-for tension. It’s got the former, but only sporadically achieves the latter.

Except for views of some obvious Gotham landmarks and locations, the film was mostly shot in Philadelphia.

Production companies: AGBO Films, X-ception Content Distributor: STX Films Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Sienna Miller, Stephan James, Keith David, Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Siddig, J.K. Simmons, Morocco Omari, Louis Cancelmi Director: Brian Kirk Screenwriters: Adam Mervis, Matthew Michael Carnahan, story by Adam Mervis Producers: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Mike Larocca, Robert Simonds, Gigi Pritzker, Chadwick Boseman, Logan Coles Director of photography: Paul Cameron Production designer: Greg Berry Costume designer: David Robinson Editor: Tim Murrell Music: Henry Jackman, Alex Belcher Casting: Avy Kaufman

Rated R,  104 minutes

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21 Bridges Review

23 Aug 2019

There are three things to know about 21 Bridges . One: it does not star Jeff or Beau Bridges (talk about missing an open goal). Two: it was originally called ‘17 Bridges’, after the number of water-crossings connecting Manhattan to elsewhere, until somebody realised mid-shoot that they’d missed a bunch. Three: it’s the kind of high-concept, low-VFX, grown-up thriller that we really don’t get much of anymore. Think of it as a missing Tony Scott / Denzel Washington team-up from the days of yore, although in terms of both quality and plotting it’s closer to The Taking Of Pelham 123 than Crimson Tide .

The action is slick, brutal and crisply cut.

The actual lead is Chadwick Boseman , taking a break from being Black Panther (even if the word “avenger” is cheekily shoehorned into dialogue early on) to play equally solemn homicide cop Andre Davis. He’s a guy who, as he helpfully explains multiple times, likes to look the devil in the eye. And that habit comes into play when two crooks ( Stephan James and Taylor Kitsch ) find a simple late-night drugs-snatch spiralling out of control, with seven dead police officers left behind. “Flood the island with blue!” Davis yells, ordering the closure of every possible escape route (the more accurate 21 Bridges And Four Tunnels presumably didn’t score well with focus groups). Cue an adrenalised, high-gloss, countdown-’til-dawn tale, as Davis and his new partner (an impressive, low-key Sienna Miller ) hotfoot it around the city in pursuit of two guys who might not be the tale’s only rotten apples.

Director Brian Kirk , who has made episodes of Game Of Thrones and Penny Dreadful , does a decent job elevating this rather slim set-up. The action is slick, brutal and crisply cut, particularly the first-reel raid, in which Kitsch is utterly convincing as a twitchy triggerman. And like the city in which it’s set, the film keeps hustling along, with colourful supporting characters (a drug lord with a penchant for early-hours exercise-bike workouts; a smarmy Sudanese fence) entering and exiting at a brisk clip. Areas of central New York are used smartly, if sometimes a little on-the-nose-ly, with one tense encounter in the Meatpacking District going down inside a store room featuring a lot of pre-packed meat. With hard-boiled dialogue, sleek God’s-eye views of the city and serious talent in supporting roles, you’re not given a chance to get bored.

Even so, an air of overfamiliarity hangs over proceedings. Despite a few early scenes trying to build up his complexity, and a commanding performance, Boseman’s incorruptible blue-suit is ultimately just a little bit dull. And the long-in-development script by Adam Mervis and Matthew Michael Carnahan, which originally featured a much older protagonist, feels both underwritten (after a huge deal is made of how unprecedented it is to shut down Manhattan’s transit links, we never see any consequences to the decision) and overly trope-y (yes, there are smarmy FBI guys, and yes, that guy who often plays shady characters is revealed to be playing a shady character). It’s far from a top-tier action flick, then, but if you go in not expecting too much, or Jeff Bridges, there’s quite a bit to enjoy.

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21 Bridges: Exclusive Trailer

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‘21 Bridges’ Review: Catch Us if You Can

In this sturdy thriller, Chadwick Boseman plays a Manhattan detective on the hunt for two squirrelly cop killers.

• Share full article

By Jeannette Catsoulis

Hedging its bets , the manhunt movie “21 Bridges” both flatters and reviles the police. On the one hand, its somber hero, a remorseless homicide detective named Davis ( Chadwick Boseman ), is the closest thing the N.Y.P.D. has to a perp whisperer. On the other, Davis manages to shoot almost one suspect a month. Unapologetic about his kill rate, he explains to Internal Affairs that they all deserved their fates, so let’s move on, shall we?

Davis’s trigger finger — and a citywide police conspiracy — will be unduly tested when a cocaine heist goes awry and the thieves ( Stephan James and Taylor Kitsch ) escape by slaughtering eight police officers. Springing into action, Davis orders a complete blockade of Manhattan; with no way off the island, he and his blue army have just one night to catch the killers before the city implodes. Start the clock!

All else aside, the bullet budget for “21 Bridges” must have been off the charts. Spraying what seems like several thousand rounds of ammunition, this sturdy thriller (the big-screen feature debut of the director Brian Kirk) has no patience for nuance. It’s a big, blunt, battering ram of a movie, but it’s not dumb: The stunts are sharply executed, the actors (including Sienna Miller and J.K. Simmons ) unimpeachable and Paul Cameron’s lively camera turns the streets of Philadelphia into a credible-enough Manhattan. The dialogue might be boilerplate (“You wear that badge, I got your back!”), but, let’s face it, if any of its patrons are crestfallen, it won’t be because of its lack of ten-dollar words.

Rated R for cocaine and carnage . Running time: 1 hour 39 minutes.

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21 bridges cast & character guide.

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The Crow Review: If There's A World Where This Remake Could Have Been Good, We Don't Live In It

How mike flanagan's next stephen king adaptation will be different from his past movies, deadpool & wolverine box office closes in on 11-year-old mcu movie in highest-grossing films of all-time.

• Critics praised Boseman's acting in 21 Bridges , despite mixed reviews of the repetitive storyline.
• The film received a 54% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes but an impressive 91% from audiences.
• 21 Bridges was Chadwick Boseman's last film before his death in August 2020, highlighting his talent.

The 2019 action thriller 21 Bridges includes a well-rounded cast of established film and television actors who help bring life into the drama. The film follows Andre Davis, an NYPD detective, as he orders the police to shut down the 21 river crossing bridges of Manhattan to find two cop killers. Along for the ride is narcotics detective Frankie Burns, who has an ulterior motive in helping Davis and a team of hundreds as they search for the cop killers.

Despite mixed reviews due to the repetitive storyline, critics praised Boseman's acting in the movie. 21 Bridges got a 54% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes but an impressive 91% from audiences. 21 Bridges was also Chadwick Boseman's last film on the big screen before his death in August 2020 . In addition to the main actors in 21 Bridges, the supporting cast is worthy of recognition in the action thriller.

Chadwick Boseman As Andre Davis

Actor : Born in Anderson, South Carolina, Chadwick Boseman was best known for his role as the Black Panther/King T'Challa in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film series, Jackie Robinson in 2013's 42, and as Thurgood Marshall in Marshall. He was a graduate of Howard University and studied acting at the Oxford Mid-Summer Program. Boseman died on August 28, 2020, after a long, private battle with colon cancer, and he later won a posthumous Oscar for his role as Black Panther in Marvel's What If...?

Notable Movies & TV Shows: Black Panther (2018), 42 (2013), Marshall (2017), What If...? (2021)

Character : Andre Davis is a successful NYPD Detective who is looking for two cop killers by closing the 21 river crossing bridges of Manhattan as well as struggling to live up to his father's legacy in the department.

Sienna Miller As Frankie Burns

Actor : Born in New York and raised in London, Sienna Miller started out as a model for Italian Vogue and for the 2003 Pirelli calendar. Miller has an extensive television, stage, and film career, having appeared in 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, 2014's American Sniper, and 2015's Burnt. She's set to star in Kevin Costner's upcoming epic Western titled Horizon in 2024.

Notable Movies & TV Shows: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009), American Sniper (2014) , Burnt (2015)

Character : Another NYPD detective, Frankie Burns, works in narcotics and works alongside Davis to find the cop killers while concealing her involvement in the drug trafficking scheme.

J.K. Simmons As Captain McKenna

Actor : J.K. Simmons has had a long acting career, ranging from starring as Elliot Page's father in Juno to the role of Bill in 2014's La La Land. He also had a memorable role in 2014's critically acclaimed Whiplash, which won Simmons an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Born in Gross Pointe, Michigan, Simmons originally studied at the University of Montana to become a composer, later getting a Bachelor of Arts in music in 1978.

Notable Movies & TV Shows : Whiplash (2014), Juno (2007), La La Land (2016), Being the Ricardos (2021), Spider-Man movies (2002-2023)

Character: Captain McKenna is the head of Davis' precinct and struggles with the loss of two of the men under his command, asking Davis to find and kill them, not revealing that he is part of the corruption at the precinct.

Stephan James As Michael Trujillo

Actor : Originally from Toronto, Stephan James' film and television career has grown extensively since his early television days in 2010. The role of Rayshawn in the series #Freerayshawn earned James an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series. James studied acting at the Jarvis Collegiate Institute and sporadically updates his social media pages.

Notable Movies & TV Shows: #Freerayshawn (2020), Homecoming (2018-2020)

Character: MichaTrujillollo is an ex-military, small-time criminal who works alongside his best friend in committing murders and robberies, which have a deep, emotional impact on Michael.

Taylor Kitsch As Ray Jackson

Actor: Best known for his role as Tim Riggins in Friday Night Lights , Taylor Kitsch has starred in both film and television. Kitsch has also starred in the title role in 2012's John Carter and in 2012's Battleship as Lieutenant Alex Hopper. Born in British Columbia, Kitsch grew up in Vancouver and studied acting in New York City, where he modeled for Abercrombie & Fitch among other clothing lines. He currently stars as a lead character in Prime Video's The Terminal List , which is getting a spinoff, Dark Wolf, led by Kitsch.

Notable Movies & TV Shows: Friday Night Lights (2006-2011), John Carter (2012), Battleship (2012), True Detective (2015), The Terminal List (2022)

Character: Ray Jackson is an ex-military criminal who, alongside his best friend and fellow veteran Michael Trujillo, is being tracked down by Davis after killing several police officers in a shootout.

Keith David As Deputy Chief Spencer

Actor: Known for his distinctive deep voice, Keith David has had a decades-long career in television and in movies, playing a variety of live-action and animated roles. These roles range from the evil Dr. Facilier in 2009's The Princess & The Frog to the rash and quick-tempered Childs in John Carpenter's The Thing to a comedy role in 1998's There's Something About Mary co-starring Cameron Diaz. Born in New York City, David studied drama at Juilliard School and graduated in 1979.

Notable Movies & TV Shows: John Carpenter's The Thing (1982), There's Something About Mary (1998), The Princess & The Frog (2009), Nope (2022), American Fiction (2023)

Character: Deputy Chief Spencer is a mentor for Andre Davis, having been friends with Davis' father and having known the younger Davis since he was a child.

21 Bridges Supporting Cast & Characters

Obi Abili as Sergeant Butchco: There is little known about Obi Abili in terms of social media presence and background, but he is best known for Forgotten Man (2017) and Gambit (2012).

Louis Cancelmi as Toriano Bush: Originally from Pittsburgh, Louis Cancelmi is a well-known stage and television actor, having appeared as Thomas Wilder in Blue Bloods (2015-2016) and has had multiple roles in the Law & Order franchise.

Gary Carr as Hawk Tyler: Gary Carr is an English actor, dancer, and singer who is best known for his role in the BBC series Death in Paradise and for his recurring role as Jack Ross in Downton Abbey season 4.

Victoria Cartagena as Sergeant Yolanda Bell: Victoria Cartagena is primarily a television actress, having starred in many different genres, including her role as Zoe Lopez in The Bedford Diaries and her recurring role as Lourdes in the drama series Manifest.

Chris Ghaffari as Brad Gales: Chris Ghaffari is a relatively unknown actor, who has only been in a handful of movies and television series, with 21 Bridges being one of four film roles. He is best known from Prodigal Son in 2020.

Christian Isaiah as young Andre: Christian Isaiah is a model and actor from Virginia Beach, having been in a variety of film and television roles. This included a recurring role as Liam in Showtime's Shameless and as young Tupac Shakur in Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G.

Adriane Lenox as Vonetta Davis: Originally from Memphis, Adriane Lenox has had a variety of film roles ranging from playing Denise Oher in 2009's The Blind Side to Gina in 2013's The Butler. For her role as Mrs. Muller in Doubt, Lenox won the 2005 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play.

Darren Lipari as Lt. Kelly: Darren Lipari is originally from Long Island and is best known for his roles in short films and television. This includes his role as Bartender Bobby in Welcome to Chippendales and playing the role of Tyler in the 2017 short film Pouring Glory.

Jamie Neumann as Leigh: Jamie Neumann is a trained musician, actor, and dancer, having been in the bands Desert Stars and High and Mighty Brass Band. She is best known for her roles in television and in short films, with one of her best-known roles being Dorothy in the television series The Deuce.

Morocco Omari as Deputy Mayor Antoine Mott: Born in Chicago, Morocco Omari is an actor, screenwriter, and director, having directed several short films as well as starring as Conrad Fuller in several episodes of 2015's Homeland .

Dale Pavinski as Tom Cheaver : An actor, director, and writer, Dale Pavinski is no stranger to police dramas, having guest starred in the CBS series Blue Bloods and NCIS.

Alexander Siddig as Adi: Born in Sudan and raised in Britain, Siddig is best known for his role as Dr. Julian Bashir in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as well as Doran Martell in Game of Thrones. He attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts for his acting education and has one child with ex-wife Nana Visitor.

Sarah Ellen Stephens as young Vonetta: Sarah Ellen Stephens is an actress, producer, and writer, best known for her recurring role as Selena Gaines in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as well as her roles in short films.

Andy Truschinski as Sergeant Dugan: Originally from Wisconsin, Andy Truschinski is primarily a stage actor and director. He is currently the company manager for the American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin, and has collaborated with stage companies all over the world (via American Players Theatre ).

21 Bridges is available to stream on Netflix.

Sources: Rotten Tomatoes , American Players Theatre

Not available

Film Review: ‘21 Bridges’

'Black Panther' star Chadwick Boseman is the most interesting thing about a conspiracy-minded cop movie centered on an intense Manhattan manhunt.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

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For those who discovered Chadwick Boseman in the role of “Black Panther,” it’s about time the actor showed audiences what else he’s capable of. Sure, Boseman was back on the big screen a few months later in “Avengers: Infinity War” — but Marvel obviously underestimated his potential, giving Boseman far too little to do, then snapping him away for most of the sequel. Now, with “ 21 Bridges ,” the actor who’d shown such potential as Jackie Robinson (in “42”) and Thurgood Marshall (“Marshall”) gets a chance to branch out, proving what someone of his caliber can do for an otherwise routine police thriller.

The feature debut of veteran TV director Brian Kirk (“Game of Thrones,” “Luther”), “21 Bridges” is dark, cynical and nearly slick enough to disguise how stupid it is. Nearly. The movie introduces the novel idea of a New York City manhunt so hot, the mayor agrees to block every route leading into or out of Manhattan. But it also suggests that the reason for taking such an extreme measure is that pretty much the entire New York police force is dirty, and that the criminals they’re pursuing must be cornered and killed before they can expose the whole scam.

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“21 Bridges” arrives at a moment in American culture when public confidence in law enforcement has been hammered by fatal cases of police brutality, but even so, screenwriters Adam Mervis and Matthew Michael Carnahan have gone too far. They seem to imagine Boseman’s character, detective Andre Davis, as the tough-guy hero of a modern-day Don Siegel movie — a kind of East Coast “Dirty Harry” — where there’s no such thing as excessive force. Among his NYPD peers, Davis is known as the kind of cop who kills cop killers: fast on the draw and equally quick to pull the trigger. Seven times he has shot suspects in the field, so often that Internal Affairs has opened an investigation into his behavior.

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Statistics like those might give the public pause, but such a record makes Davis just the guy Capt. McKenna ( J.K. Simmons ) wants to clean up the mess after eight of his officers are left for dead at a crime scene. If the shooters are apprehended alive, lawyers will get involved, and there will be trials and appeals to make things miserable for the victims’ families — something Davis can relate to, since his father was a cop murdered by a junkie in the line of duty. “I’m asking you to protect them from all that,” McKenna implores, partnering Davis with a tough narcotics detective, Frankie Burns ( Sienna Miller ), before turning them both loose, like a pair of trained-to-attack Dobermans on the trail of their prey.

But “21 Bridges” is no ordinary manhunt. The movie does something strange from the outset: It shows the drug heist that started everything from the perps’ perspective, and even though one of the criminals is clearly out of his mind (that would be Taylor Kitsch, looking strung out and dangerous compared with more levelheaded accomplice Stephan James), it’s perfectly evident that they’ve been set up. They were told this would be a small-time stickup, only to discover 300 kilos of uncut cocaine at the scene. It’s also strange how quickly the cops show up, and how aggressively they attempt to secure the property.

Davis recognizes that there’s something wrong with this picture, and though he leads the charge in sealing off the island — which means closing all the bridges and tunnels, an operation that’s described via TV news in bars instead of actually being shown on screen — he starts to question McKenna’s motives. The captain seems a little too enthusiastic about tying up loose ends, and the cops from his division, the 85th Precinct, have an uncanny habit of showing up one step ahead of Davis and Burns, and leaving corpses in their wake.

In Kirk’s hands, the action scenes have a brusque, efficient quality. Practically everyone here is a trained killer, but nearly every confrontation introduces an element of chance, which can sometimes be the thing to dictate whether the various parties are killed or spared. Some of the deaths are quite shocking, but Kirk doesn’t linger on the gore the way some cop movies do, nor does he heighten the theatrics simply to impress. In nearly every case, it feels as if he’s looking for the cleanest solution when it comes to staging shootouts, introducing complexity in the form of where audiences should put their allegiances.

Despite that shades-of-gray approach, Boseman’s role doesn’t offer nearly as much complexity as the screenwriters seem to think — which is why the movie needs an actor like him to distract us from its many plot holes and paradoxes. Cops, the film reminds us, “have to account for every time their gun is discharged.” But if it weren’t for that early scene in which we see Davis reprimanded for being too aggressive with his weapon, there’s no evidence that this character resorts to violence under pressure. If anything, he behaves just the opposite here, going to extreme lengths not to shoot, which makes for at least three standoffs in which he puts his own life in danger so his quarry will have a chance to explain themselves.

A good conspiracy plot can make a generic cop movie feel bold and fearless, but this one makes the entire NYPD come off looking compromised — a situation Davis manages to resolve much too easily, pruning all the Big Apple’s bad apples in one improbable post-climactic reckoning. The movie pretends to describe modern-day Manhattan (much of which was convincingly shot in Philadelphia), when in fact it’s peddling the same square kind of old-school morality one might find in a classic Western, where Boseman would be the only honest gunslinger in town. James Mangold explored that dynamic on a smaller scale in his 1997 indie “Cop Land,” and a director of Michael Mann’s abilities could make it work on a canvas as big as New York, but for Kirk and company, the project is a classic case of intentions extending a bridge too far.

Reviewed at Wilshire Screening Room, Los Angeles, Nov. 8, 2019. MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 99 MIN.

• Production: An STXFilms release, presented with MWM Studios, Huayi Brothers Pictures., of an AGBO Films, X•Ception Content production. Producers: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Mike Larocca, Robert Simonds, Gigi Pritzker, Chadwick Boseman, Logan Coles. Executive producers: Adam Fogelson, Rachel Shane, Adrian Alperovich, Wang Zhongjun, Wang Zhonglei, Felice Bee, Mark Kamine, Todd Makurath. Co-producers: Malcolm Gray, Melissa Rucker.
• Crew: Director: Brian Kirk. Screenplay: Adam Mervis, Matthew Michael Carnahan; story: Mervis. Camera (color): Paul Cameron. Editor: Tim Murrell. Music: Henry Jackman, Alex Belcher.
• With: Chadwick Boseman, Sienna Miller, Stephan James, Keith David , Alexander Siddig, Taylor Kitsch, J.K. Simmons, Louis Cancelmi, Victoria Cartagena.

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This Is Where You Can Watch 21 Bridges

When Chadwick Boseman died in 2020 at the age of 43, the actor left behind a film legacy that solidified his status as one Hollywood's best actors. And while he will always first and foremost be remembered for "Black Panther," one of his other final films, 2019's "21 Bridges," deserves plenty of accolades, too. If you missed the taut cop thriller when it first premiered, it's well worth a watch for Boseman's performance .

In "21 Bridges," Boseman plays NYPD officer Andre Davis, whose career is intrinsically linked to him witnessing the murder of his cop father at a young age. As an adult, Davis is known among his colleagues as someone who will go out of his way to kill anyone who kills cops, but he maintains his actions are in self-defense. Still, when two criminals end up gunning down a cop when their drug heist goes wrong, Davis is the one called in to take care of them. And even though he rejects the reputation he has cultivated among his fellow officers, Davis comes up with a plan to lockdown Manhattan by closing off all of the bridges and trapping the criminals on the island (hence the title).

Reviews for the film were mixed — it has a 53% Rotten Tomatoes score among critics — but filmgoers praised the action-packed thriller and its cast. In addition to Boseman, the movie also stars Sienna Miller, J.K. Simmons, Stephan James, and Taylor Kitsch. All in all, it's a solid film that's made all the more important for including one of Boseman's final performances . Luckily, it's also easy to stream "21 Bridges," as long as you're willing to spring for a premium channel subscription.

Is 21 Bridges streaming on Netflix?

Currently, "21 Bridges" isn't streaming on Netflix, Hulu, or Prime Video. However, the movie is available via the Showtime app . That means if you subscribe to Showtime through a cable or satellite provider, or directly through the app, the movie is just a few clicks away.

Additionally, if you have a subscription to Showtime through Hulu, Apple TV+, or another streaming service, the movie will be available to you on those platforms as well. If you're not interested in subscribing to the premium channel to watch just one movie, you can purchase it for $12.99 on iTunes . (Although, it should be noted, there are usually 7-day free Showtime trials available via Prime Video, Hulu, and the premium channel's app, which would give you plenty of time to watch Chadwick Boseman's terrific performance without committing to a full month of service.)

While "21 Bridges" is currently exclusive to Showtime, the various streamers add new films every month, so it's worth noting the movie may pop up elsewhere in the future. But for now, Showtime is your best option for watching this intense Boseman film online.

21 Bridges Review: A Brainless Plot Sinks Violent Cop Thriller

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21 Bridges is an ultra-violent cop actioner with an illogical, brainless plot. Star Chadwick Boseman had been on a roll the past three years as Marvel hero, Black Panther , and civil rights icon, Thurgood Marshall . His talent brings a drop of dramatic heft to 21 Bridges , but not enough to elevate the film. A solid supporting cast is also wasted in this hail of bullets. The body count is high and bloody, but the story is laughably predictable.

We first meet Andre Davis (Christian Isaiah) as a boy at the funeral for his policeman father; who was killed in the line of duty. Years later, Davis ( Chadwick Boseman ) is a fierce New York City detective famous for killing bad guys. He's being investigated by Internal Affairs for his record number of shootings. Davis makes no apologies. He protects the badge and public without remorse.

Two low level street thugs (Taylor Kitsch, Stephan James) rob a cocaine cache hidden in a restaurant. They are stunned to find hundreds of kilos when they only expected thirty. A shootout ensues when four cops show up. They gun down the cops and their backup. Detective Davis is assigned the task of hunting down the cop killers . He convinces the mayor's office to close all the bridges and tunnels that lead into Manhattan. Trapped and on the run, the killers must find a way to dispose of the drugs. Davis, and a narcotics officer (Sienna Miller), are hot on their trail. But as they close in, Davis becomes suspicious of the officers who initially responded to the crime scene.

21 Bridges takes place over the course of one bullet-ridden night . Director Brian King ( Game of Thrones , Luther ) sets a fast pace with continuous action scenes throughout. The problem is that no amount of gunfire or dead bodies can make up for the sizable holes in the plot. The circumstances surrounding the robbery would have raised red flags immediately. The police desire to find and kill criminals who murdered their own is completely understandable. What doesn't make sense, especially from Davis and the FBI, is why all of those cops were at a drug den in the first place. The mystery behind the drugs is blatantly obvious. The premise of the film falls apart in the first act.

A lot of cops and civilians are mercilessly gunned down in 21 Bridges . Their deaths are meant to invoke visceral anger from the audience. It's a cheap gimmick that I found distasteful. The baddies have high powered, armor piercing weapons that shred Kevlar like Swiss cheese. They plow through a minor NYPD army, but can't get past the crackerjack 9MM Glock 17 of Detective Davis. We've seen the super cop saves the day in countless movies. 21 Bridges fizzles out with the same absurd contrivance.

Taylor Kitsch, Sienna Miller, and J.K. Simmons play key supporting roles. Their characters are one dimensional and borderline caricatures. Sienna Miller, a British actress who usually does good work, flubs her turn as the grizzled narc. Her New York accent sounds like Brooklyn in a can. J.K. Simmons yells and snarls as the police captain whose men were killed. His role is transparent from the second he steps on screen. Kitsch is the only actor that successfully plays the bad-ass. He says very little, but pulls off the cold-blooded murders .

21 Bridges works if you wear narrative blinders. The gruesome action scenes have tension, but did not appeal to me in the overall context of the film. Chadwick Boseman is also rail thin here. He looks severely underweight to play an NYPD detective. That may be a quibble, but it adds up. There are just too many flaws. 21 Bridges is a production of MWM Studios and Huayi Brothers with distribution by STX Films .

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• 21 bridges (2019)
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Common Sense Media Review

Decent NYC cop drama has violence, language.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that 21 Bridges is a drama starring Chadwick Boseman ( Black Panther ) as a New York City detective who's on the trail of cop killers. Expect lots of violence, including guns and shooting, many deaths, someone getting shot through the eye (blood and gore shown), blood spurts,…

Why Age 15+?

Lots of guns and shooting. Many characters die. Beating with blunt objects. Char

Strong language, with many uses of "f--k," "motherf----r," "s--t," "balls."

Secondary characters are drug dealers. 300 kilos of cocaine shown. Character tes

Brief, mild sexual innuendo.

Any Positive Content?

Andre Davis is shown as a caring man with strong integrity/loyalty to family, wh

Looks at moral conflict between taking a little extra to get by and having a dec

Violence & Scariness

Lots of guns and shooting. Many characters die. Beating with blunt objects. Character's eye shot -- gory face. Blood spurts, gurgling blood. Car crashes. Characters hit by car, bus. Boy at his father's funeral.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Secondary characters are drug dealers. 300 kilos of cocaine shown. Character tests cocaine quality. Character shows an AA chip and says he needs a scotch. An elderly woman's "meds" are referred to. Background smoking.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Role Models

Andre Davis is shown as a caring man with strong integrity/loyalty to family, who has no tolerance for crooked cops. That said, he's also known as an officer who's not afraid to fire his weapon in the line of duty (he's said to have killed eight perpetrators).

Positive Messages

Looks at moral conflict between taking a little extra to get by and having a decent life vs. having integrity and doing the right thing (the movie very definitely takes the latter side).

Parents need to know that 21 Bridges is a drama starring Chadwick Boseman ( Black Panther ) as a New York City detective who's on the trail of cop killers. Expect lots of violence, including guns and shooting, many deaths, someone getting shot through the eye (blood and gore shown), blood spurts, beatings with blunt objects, car crashes, and a young boy enduring his father's funeral. Language is also very strong, with many uses of "f--k" and "s--t." Cocaine is part of the plot: 300 kilograms are shown, and criminals try to move 50 kilograms of it (one of them tests it for quality). There are references to AA and to prescription medications, as well as background smoking and brief, mild sexual innuendo. Despite some weak parts, the movie has a brisk, vigorous middle section, and it's passable enough entertainment for mature viewers. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents say (7)
• Kids say (7)

Based on 7 parent reviews

this movie was DA BOMB (:

Action packed- fast paced., what's the story.

In 21 BRIDGES, criminals Ray ( Taylor Kitsch ) and Michael ( Stephan James ) show up for a job: stealing 30 kilos of cocaine. But when they get there, they find 300 kilos instead. They're also interrupted by a quartet of cops. Ray shoots eight police officers in all, and the pair escapes. Police detective Andre Davis ( Chadwick Boseman ), who has a history of shooting perpetrators, is called in to find the two cop killers. Paired with narcotics detective Frankie Burns ( Sienna Miller ), Andre orders the city of Manhattan closed off, giving him only four hours to find them. He and Frankie follow their noses and piece together the clues, but as they get closer, Andre learns that something isn't quite right inside the police force.

Is It Any Good?

This New York City cop action drama has a bit of a stiff start and a somewhat silly ending, but in between, it's a brisk, no-frills entertainment, thanks mainly to Boseman's star charisma. 21 Bridges begins with an attempt to explain young Andre's motivations, which isn't really followed up -- or really needed. Then there's an awkwardly written scene of grown-up Andre being interrogated by Internal Affairs. But after that, things get going very quickly, and director Brian Kirk -- a TV veteran ( Game of Thrones , Penny Dreadful , etc.) making his feature debut -- keeps the ball rolling.

For most of the movie, the action is fairly clean, interactions are brief, and Kirk makes excellent, colorful use of Manhattan, from villains' lairs to the underbellies of restaurants and hotels. Boseman is well paired with Miller, who's tough and relentless while looking a bit shabby and ratty; she certainly isn't defined by her looks or gender. The two cop killers, likewise, are more than just sneering bad guys. They have a history and a shorthand, and they're smart and scared. It's all pretty good until the final showdown, which does have one or two interesting themes but then throws it all away on a rush job. Still, Boseman is commanding from start to finish, and 21 Bridges is a passable enough entertainment for fans of the genre.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about 21 Bridges ' violence . How strong is it? Does it seem excessive or necessary to the story? What's the impact of media violence on kids?

How are drugs depicted? Are they glamorized in any way? Are there consequences? Why does that matter?

Is Andre Davis a role model ? Why or why not? How does he demonstrate integrity ?

What's the argument for being a crooked cop and taking a little extra to make life easier? What's the argument against that? Which side does the movie seem to fall on?

Movie Details

• In theaters : November 22, 2019
• On DVD or streaming : February 18, 2020
• Cast : Chadwick Boseman , Sienna Miller , J.K. Simmons
• Director : Brian Kirk
• Inclusion Information : Black actors, Female actors
• Studio : STX Entertainment
• Genre : Action/Adventure
• Character Strengths : Integrity
• Run time : 99 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : violence and language throughout
• Last updated : March 5, 2023

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Summary An embattled NYPD detective (Chadwick Boseman) is thrust into a citywide manhunt for a pair of cop killers after uncovering a massive and unexpected conspiracy. As the night unfolds, lines become blurred on who he is pursuing, and who is in pursuit of him. When the search intensifies, extreme measures are taken to prevent the killers fro ... Read More

Directed By : Brian Kirk

Written By : Adam Mervis, Matthew Michael Carnahan

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We’re breaking down Verified Hot – a new way to celebrate audiences. pic.twitter.com/1aaqnfFere — Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) August 21, 2024

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21 Bridges Review

Produced by the Russo Brothers, 21 Bridges  is Chadwick Boseman’s first outing away from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, swapping the tech of Wakanda for the gritty streets of New York in the latest cop thriller to hit the big screen.

When a botched robbery results in the death of a number of NYPD officers, Capt. McKenna (J.K. Simmons) unleashes the ruthlessly efficient detective Andre Davis (Chadwick Boseman) and no nonsense DEA agent Frankie Burns to track down cop killers, Ray (Taylor Kitsch) and Michael (Stephan James). As part of the citywide manhunt the mayor shuts down the 21 bridges, four tunnels and three rivers of Manhattan, giving the pair until sunrise to bring the criminals to justice. With the clock ticking and the pressure intensifying, Davis soon finds himself on the hunt for the truth as lines becomes blurred in a relentless pursuit.

Yes 21 Bridges is an utterly predictable, old school style cop thriller that features a twist you’ll see coming a mile off,  yet the film makes for an entertaining watch that surprisingly kept me gripped throughout! Forgetting the contrived plot points and often clichèd script, it’s a pretty fun and well paced film that features an intriguing central cat and mouse/race against time concept, it’s just a shame that writers Adam Mervis and Matthew Michael Carnahan didn’t take more of a risk with the plot. Threads such as Davis’ mother suffering with dementia or the main development of shutting down of the city aren’t unfortunately developed or explored. The film’s main themes of police brutality and the negative impacts of drugs are also quickly glanced over, with no real commentary given on such a key topic.

Boseman proves a decent lead without the vibranium suit, bringing just enough charisma and brooding to the slightly one dimensional role. The actor’s experience in the MCU has clearly paid off in the action department, as he really nails each of his shoot outs and chases. Unfortunately he just isn’t afforded all that much character development or depth, as a redemption arc would have made for an interesting angle following his record of delivering his own brand of violent justice. However If Beale Street Could Talk star Stephan James emerges as the real MVP of the show; his emotional and conflicted performance as Michael really makes you root for him. J.K. Simmons was also on great form as the out for blood Captain, but was unfortunately criminally underused along with the miscast and almost unrecognisable Sienna Miller. 

But where the film really shines is in the impressively unrelenting and often brutal action, with many intense and well staged set pieces and stunts featured, particularly in the opening shootout. Alex Belcher & Henry Jackman’s blaring score really does heighten the senses in particularly tense scenes, but at times it has a tendency to overpower. Cinematographer Paul Cameron brings a real gritty and atmospheric feel to city, coupled with a sleek aerial view of the bustling cityscape. 

In a year packed full of sequels and franchises, 21 Bridges  is a refreshing break to the norm, proving an enjoyable but predictable watch featuring a standout performance by rising star Stephan James.

Nicola Austin

Nicola is the digital marketer and Editor-in-Chief of We have a Hulk. She produces a podcast of the same name, is a Rotten Tomatoes approved critic and contributes to a number of publications including JumpCut Online and Filmhounds.

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Saving you time, 21 bridges review.

• by Teddy Frederick
• Posted on November 25, 2019 January 15, 2021

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Author: Teddy Frederick

Movies have been my passion since I was a young teenager. I had realized how much I loved going to the theater and watching something on the big screen, and I wanted to feel that sensation as often as possible. I began seeing as many movies as my schedule and wallet could allow, and in wanting to give back to the film community and myself, I wrote film reviews. I first posted them under the audience reviews of Rotten Tomatoes; if I ever go back to those posts now I cringe at the writer I used to be. In 2018, I had the idea to start my own space to post my content and thus Movie Reviews Today was born. I am a film and media studies student at Arizona St. University. I am also a three-year shift supervisor with Starbucks. My hope is to soak up as many movies and movie knowledge as I can moving forward and to share my passion with my readers. View all posts by Teddy Frederick

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Rotten Tomatoes says its new “Verified Hot” badge is meant to help users find movies with high audience approval . But as Engadget points out , the whole system hinges on people using Fandango for verification that they’ve actually seen the films, which — given that both Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango are owned by Comcast — kinda makes the badges seem like a ticket-selling marketing ploy.

[ Engadget ]

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