''21 Bridges'' is a 2019 American

action-thriller film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as ...

directed by

Brian Kirk Brian Kirk is a film and television director from Northern Ireland who has directed episodes of ''Game of Thrones'', FX (TV network), FX's ''The Riches'' and Showtime (TV network), Showtime's ''Brotherhood (Showtime TV series), Brotherhood'' a ...

and written by Adam Mervis & Matthew Michael Carnahan. The film stars

Chadwick Boseman Chadwick Aaron Boseman (; November 29, 1976August 28, 2020) was an American actor. Through his two-decade career, he appeared in a number of projects spanning both blockbuster and independent films, and received various accolades, including ...

as an

NYPD The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

Detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads the ...

who shuts down the 21 river crossings of

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

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

Taylor Kitsch Taylor Kitsch (born April 8, 1981) is a Canadian actor. He is known for portraying 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), ''Bat ...

Sienna Miller Sienna Rose Diana Miller (born 28 December 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 Cale ...

Keith David Keith David Williams (born June 4, 1956) is an American actor. He is known for his deep voice and screen presence in over 300 roles in film, stage, television, and interactive media. He has starred in such films as '' The Thing'' (1982), ''Pla ...

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 amassed over 200 screen and stage credits since his 1986 debut. He won th ...

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

Mike Larocca Mike Larocca is an American film and television producer. In 2016, he co-founded and was President and Vice Chairman of the Russo brothers' AGBO AGBO (also known as Gozie AGBO) is an American independent entertainment company based in Downt ...

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 27 July 1962) is an American billionaire and film producer who is a member of the Pritzker family. Pritzker is co-founder of the film production and financing company Odd Lot Entertainment, producing several films including ' ...

, Boseman (in his only producing credit) and Logan Coles. It was also Boseman's final theatrical film before his death in August 2020. Boseman's last two films ''

Da 5 Bloods ''Da 5 Bloods'' is a 2020 American war drama film directed, produced, and co-written by Spike Lee. It stars Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Johnny Trí Nguyễn, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Mélanie Thierry, Paul Walter H ...

'' and ''

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom ''Ma Rainey's Black Bottom'' is a 1982 play by August Wilson, set in a recording studio in 1920s Chicago during a recording session for the titular song by the blues singer Ma Rainey. The play deals with issues of race, art, religion, and the ...

'' were released on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

. 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 (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, primarily

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

and also took place in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 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 STX Entertainment is an American independent entertainment and media company. Founded in March 2014 by film producer Robert Simonds and TPG Growth managing partner Bill McGlashan, the studio produces film, television, and digital media project ...

. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $49 million worldwide on a $33 million production budget.

Plot

Andre Davis, a successful

like his father (who was murdered on duty when Andre was a child), struggles with his father's legacy and has earned a reputation for killing several criminals over the years, although he claims that 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 (law), ...

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. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

soldiers A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word ...

, attempt to steal 30 kilograms of

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

from a

wine shop A liquor store is a retail business that predominantly sells prepackaged alcoholic beverages, including liquors (typically in bottles), wine or beer, usually intended to be consumed off the store's premises. Depending on region and local idiom ...

, but they find 300 kilograms of cocaine instead. When a group of officers from the NYPD's 85th Precinct arrives, Ray guns them down in a shootout, killing seven officers and wounding another, who later dies at a hospital. After Michael and Ray escape into

with 50 kilograms, Michael chastises Ray for putting them in jeopardy by killing cops. Assigned to the case, Davis and NYPD

Narcotics The term narcotic (, from ancient Greek ναρκῶ ''narkō'', "I make numb") originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with numbing or paralyzing properties. In the United States, it has since become associated with opiates ...

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 agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

special agent In the United States, a special agent is an official title used to refer to certain investigators or detectives of federal, military, tribal, or state agencies who primarily serve in criminal investigatory positions. Additionally, some special ...

s to take over the case. Reasoning that the criminals would have to sell the cocaine in Manhattan before escaping the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

, Davis secures the reluctant approval of the

Deputy Mayor The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor and assistant mayor) is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many local governments. Duties and functions Many elected deputy mayors are members of the loca ...

, FBI and the precinct's head

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

McKenna for Manhattan Island to be under lockdown until 5:00 a.m. As Ray and Michael go with their liaison, Bush, to meet their buyer Hawk, who gives them $1 million, Davis and Burns manage to identify all three of them. Bush is soon gunned down by Butchco and Dugan in a nightclub. After catching Butchco

planting Sowing is the process of planting seeds. An area 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 legumes are ...

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 illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, sex work, terrorism, corruption, and embezzlement, and converting the funds into ...

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

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

. However, before he can secure their money in an

offshore account An offshore bank is a bank that is operated and regulated under international banking license (often called offshore license), which usually prohibits the bank from establishing any business activities in the jurisdiction of establishment. Due to ...

, a team of NYPD officers led by Lt. 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 ce ...

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 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 that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...

. 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 that when he berates her, 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, refuses to walk away because drugs are a major cause of people dying. He kills the arriving Butchco, Dugan, and Kelly – who were all on McKenna's payroll – and later kills McKenna, who refuses to surrender. Burns, who Davis deduced was also allied with McKenna, appears from behind and holds Davis at gunpoint. Davis reveals that he has already leaked the information online, exposing all the corrupt cops in New York. He warns her that she will get life in prison for killing him, meaning that her daughter would have to grow up without her, so Burns surrenders. In the aftermath, Davis solemnly drives along the

Manhattan Bridge The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan at Canal Street with Downtown Brooklyn at the Flatbush Avenue Extension. Designed by Leon Moisseiff, the bridge has a tota ...

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

directing.

and

were cast in September.

Chris Pratt Christopher Michael Pratt (born June 21, 1979) is an American actor. His films as a leading actor have grossed over $14.1billion worldwide, making him the fifth-highest-grossing film star of all time. Pratt was named by ''Time'' as one of t ...

Andrew Koji Andrew Koji (born 1987) is a British actor and martial artist. He had his breakout role as Ah Sahm in the Cinemax series ''Warrior'' (2019–2023). Koji went on to play Storm Shadow in ''Snake Eyes'' (2021) and Yuichi "The Father" Kimura in ...

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 (2001 TV series), Witchblade'' and Jae Kim in the sci-fi series ''Bionic Woman ( ...

, and

Lewis Tan Lewis Singwah Tan (born February 4, 1987) is an American actor, martial artist and model. He is known for his roles as Kung Jin in '' Mortal Kombat X: Generations'', Cole Young in '' Mortal Kombat'', Rusty Shatterstar in '' Deadpool 2'' and ' ...

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

and

Morocco Omari Morocco Omari (born May 7, 1975) is an American film, television, and theater actor, screenwriter, producer, and a director. He was born in Chicago, Illinois. He is best known for his role as Tariq in the Hip-Hop television drama series ''Empire'' ...

, Stephan James and Jamie Neumann joined in October 2018. Sienna Miller would later reveal just after Chadwick Boseman's 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 1 June 1974) is an English film and television music composer, music conductor and music arranger. He composed music for films such as '' Kong: Skull Island'', '' X-Men: First Class'', ''Puss in Boots'', ''Monsters vs ...

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 ...

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 ki ...

and

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

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 film, biographical drama (film and television), drama film on the TV presenter Fred Rogers, directed by Marielle Heller and written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster ...

'' and ''

Frozen II ''Frozen 2'', stylized as ''Frozen II'', is a 2019 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures as the sequel to '' Frozen'' (2013). The film was directed by Chris Buck ...

'', 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 at $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

Audiences polled by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...

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 fil ...

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

References

External links

* {{Anthony and Joe Russo 2019 films 2019 action thriller films 2019 crime thriller films 2020s police procedural films AGBO 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 produced by Anthony and Joe Russo Films produced by Mike Larocca Films produced by Robert Simonds 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 2010s hood films STX Entertainment films Films directed by Brian Kirk 2010s English-language films 2010s American films English-language crime thriller films English-language action thriller films English-language crime action films