21 Bridges
26/11/19 Filed in: Cinema
Andre Davis is a cop with a reputation of tracking down and taking out cop killers, his father having been killed in the line of duty. At a review panel that clearly is seeking to accuse him of being a bit too keen to use his gun, he respectfully points out that he had never fired the first shot.
We now cut to a couple of thieves, Ray and Michael, war veterans who have been tipped off regarding a stash of cocaine in a restaurant. They know the back-door code so it seems this might be an inside job. The manager of the restaurant is inside, and having 'persuaded' him to reveal where the drugs are they are surprised to find ten times as much cocaine as they expected. They take what they can carry, but as they are making their way to the door the cops arrive. After a ferocious gun battle seven cops are dead and one is on her way to hospital fighting for her life.
Andre is put on the case, the local police captain urging him to find and take out the culprits. He is asked to team up with female officer Frankie Burns from Narcotics, and immediately comes into conflict with two pushy FBI officers, Butcho and Dugan. An early success in locating the getaway car confirms Andre's suspicion that the perpetrators were likely to be in Manhattan. He at this point asks that Manhattan Island be closed down, by closing all 21 bridges. It's not long after midnight and he's given until 5 am to catch the two men before the roads are opened again.
Ray and Michael's middle man, Bush, is using a car that belongs to his former girlfriend, and is therefore quickly identified and located at the Pan Am nightclub. But by the time Andre and Frankie arrive he's been shot by FBI officer Butcho. It's clear to Andre that this was an execution and with it they have lost the opportunity to question Bush.
Meanwhile Ray and Michael, now desperate, are demanding a better deal from their handler and are to get new identities from a fixer named Adi. But while they're at Adi's apartment the police arrive. Ray and Michael escape, an injured Adi giving Michael two USB drives and a password before they leave. Andre, however, is very suspicious as to how Adi was so quickly identified and his apartment located.
With the dragnet closing even more tightly around the two fugitives Andre wants to question them, as he is sure that there's more to this whole episode than meets the eye. But while he strives to capture them alive, it seems that there are a lot of police officers who are equally intent on killing them. As the cat and mouse game plays out Andre's doubts and suspicions increase, being more or less confirmed after he has pursued Michael onto a subway train. At this point I also had my suspicions, as no doubt will you, but the end game was still a bit of a surprise.
A good honest cops and robbers tale with some additional intrigue just to spice things up a bit. Sienna Miller gets lead billing as Frankie Burns although Andre, played very convincingly by Chadwick Boseman of Black Panther fame, is undoubtedly the lead character. It's pleased the audiences more than the critics, who on Rotten Tomatoes only credit it with 49% compared to audiences 90%. But isn't that always the way with anything that aims to entertain rather than deliver artistic perfection?
Meanwhile Ray and Michael, now desperate, are demanding a better deal from their handler and are to get new identities from a fixer named Adi. But while they're at Adi's apartment the police arrive. Ray and Michael escape, an injured Adi giving Michael two USB drives and a password before they leave. Andre, however, is very suspicious as to how Adi was so quickly identified and his apartment located.
With the dragnet closing even more tightly around the two fugitives Andre wants to question them, as he is sure that there's more to this whole episode than meets the eye. But while he strives to capture them alive, it seems that there are a lot of police officers who are equally intent on killing them. As the cat and mouse game plays out Andre's doubts and suspicions increase, being more or less confirmed after he has pursued Michael onto a subway train. At this point I also had my suspicions, as no doubt will you, but the end game was still a bit of a surprise.
A good honest cops and robbers tale with some additional intrigue just to spice things up a bit. Sienna Miller gets lead billing as Frankie Burns although Andre, played very convincingly by Chadwick Boseman of Black Panther fame, is undoubtedly the lead character. It's pleased the audiences more than the critics, who on Rotten Tomatoes only credit it with 49% compared to audiences 90%. But isn't that always the way with anything that aims to entertain rather than deliver artistic perfection?