21 Bridges
21 Bridges is a crime drama/action thriller (do people my age still use that term? I dunno, whatever, get off my lawn) that takes place in one action-packed, blood and bullet soaked night. Andre Davis is an NYPD detective who has a reputation for killing cop-killers, so when 7 police officers are brutally gunned down late one night, it seems like there'll be more notches on his gun belt. Except this time it's not that simple. The film stars Chadwick Boseman, Stephan James, Taylor Kitsch, Sienna Miller, and J.K. Simmons and was released in US theatres on November 22, 2019. 21 Bridges is rated R for pervasive language, lots of gun violence and blood, and adult themes.
I saw 21 Bridges late on a Discount Tuesday in a good sized auditorium with about 40 other viewers on 11/26/19. I'm pretty sure I was the only white guy there. It was very nice watching a film with a black protagonist amongst people of color, because the reactions to certain moments/lines were different than had the audience been filled with white people. Plus, although I'm disappointed by this, the trailers that showed with this movie were VERY different from what's been attached to other movies I've seen this month. I had never heard of Queen & Slim, for example, but now I very much would like to see it. Apparently Hollywood only thinks black people will go see a movie with mostly black people in it? Anyway, I enjoyed 21 Bridges quite a bit. Let me tell you why.
If you don't like movies to be spoiled for you, don't read any further because I'm probably going to spoil this movie below. You've been warned!
21 Bridges is cinematic proof that "All Cops are Bad." It is rather measured in its portrayal of New York police officers, because there's a reason (I don't think it's a good reason, or at least, not a good solution to the problem) that these particular cops are bad, and all of the characters in general are very three-dimensional. But the fact remains that the crime at the center of the story goes so horribly awry solely because of police corruption.
Sometimes I wish I wasn't so well-versed in storytelling techniques, because the "twist" that the cops were dirty was something I called during the first scene, which was a flashback to the main character's father's funeral. He was a cop killed in the line of duty by three criminals, and he managed to shoot and kill two of them before the third beat him to death. The pastor's eulogy alluded to the fact that the father took a first-hand approach to justice, and the young version of the main character was stoic except for a single tear track down his cheek. This was followed by a "19 years later" card and Andre speaking with his mother, who tells him he's working too hard and laments that he "looks the devil in the eye." All that foreshadowing adds up to the conclusion that Andre will be the only good, principled cop in a quagmire of corruption and faulty moral codes.
I saw a review that said, "If you saw Chadwick Boseman in Black Panther and are looking for T'challa, you won't find it here." No shit, Sherlock, you mean actors can play more than one role in different movies? Like, I don't know what's more offensive, that that statement is borderline racist or just plain fucking stupid. Obviously he's not T'challa. He is very protective of his "people" i.e. other cops (unless they're corrupt assholes, obviously) and a clear leader who is willing to make tough decisions and live with the consequences. But this is a different movie, folks. No superheroes here, other than the metaphorical ones.
Favorite line in the movie: "You can't move 5 keys of yayo in Utica." Nikoda and I had a good laugh at that, and we were the only ones who did, because Seattle-ites have no clue what upstate New York is like, or even that Utica is in upstate New York.
All that said, I had a good time with 21 Bridges. It ran along at a good clip, never getting boring or dragging, even at almost 2 hours long. The acting was good, the well-developed characters who felt like people instead of stereotypes was refreshing, and even though I saw the twist coming a mile away, it's good to see that "All Cops are Bad" is making its way to media/entertainment. Black/POC protagonists are always welcome as far as I'm concerned.
Have you seen 21 Bridges and if so, did you enjoy it? I'd love to know what you think, so post a comment and as always, have a great day!
I saw 21 Bridges late on a Discount Tuesday in a good sized auditorium with about 40 other viewers on 11/26/19. I'm pretty sure I was the only white guy there. It was very nice watching a film with a black protagonist amongst people of color, because the reactions to certain moments/lines were different than had the audience been filled with white people. Plus, although I'm disappointed by this, the trailers that showed with this movie were VERY different from what's been attached to other movies I've seen this month. I had never heard of Queen & Slim, for example, but now I very much would like to see it. Apparently Hollywood only thinks black people will go see a movie with mostly black people in it? Anyway, I enjoyed 21 Bridges quite a bit. Let me tell you why.
If you don't like movies to be spoiled for you, don't read any further because I'm probably going to spoil this movie below. You've been warned!
21 Bridges is cinematic proof that "All Cops are Bad." It is rather measured in its portrayal of New York police officers, because there's a reason (I don't think it's a good reason, or at least, not a good solution to the problem) that these particular cops are bad, and all of the characters in general are very three-dimensional. But the fact remains that the crime at the center of the story goes so horribly awry solely because of police corruption.
Sometimes I wish I wasn't so well-versed in storytelling techniques, because the "twist" that the cops were dirty was something I called during the first scene, which was a flashback to the main character's father's funeral. He was a cop killed in the line of duty by three criminals, and he managed to shoot and kill two of them before the third beat him to death. The pastor's eulogy alluded to the fact that the father took a first-hand approach to justice, and the young version of the main character was stoic except for a single tear track down his cheek. This was followed by a "19 years later" card and Andre speaking with his mother, who tells him he's working too hard and laments that he "looks the devil in the eye." All that foreshadowing adds up to the conclusion that Andre will be the only good, principled cop in a quagmire of corruption and faulty moral codes.
I saw a review that said, "If you saw Chadwick Boseman in Black Panther and are looking for T'challa, you won't find it here." No shit, Sherlock, you mean actors can play more than one role in different movies? Like, I don't know what's more offensive, that that statement is borderline racist or just plain fucking stupid. Obviously he's not T'challa. He is very protective of his "people" i.e. other cops (unless they're corrupt assholes, obviously) and a clear leader who is willing to make tough decisions and live with the consequences. But this is a different movie, folks. No superheroes here, other than the metaphorical ones.
Favorite line in the movie: "You can't move 5 keys of yayo in Utica." Nikoda and I had a good laugh at that, and we were the only ones who did, because Seattle-ites have no clue what upstate New York is like, or even that Utica is in upstate New York.
All that said, I had a good time with 21 Bridges. It ran along at a good clip, never getting boring or dragging, even at almost 2 hours long. The acting was good, the well-developed characters who felt like people instead of stereotypes was refreshing, and even though I saw the twist coming a mile away, it's good to see that "All Cops are Bad" is making its way to media/entertainment. Black/POC protagonists are always welcome as far as I'm concerned.
Have you seen 21 Bridges and if so, did you enjoy it? I'd love to know what you think, so post a comment and as always, have a great day!
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