The entertainment world lost one of its leading lights in 2020 when Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman sadly passed away from colon cancer at the age of 43.
The late actor starred in the likes of 42, Get On Up, Captain America: Civil War and Marshall, with his final theatrical release being 21 Bridges, which came out in 2019. Although he had three posthumous releases, Da 5 Bloods and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom were both released on Netflix instead of in cinemas, while his appearance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever relied on archival footage.
21 Bridges has now arrived on BBC iPlayer and will be available on the streaming platform for the rest of the month. The action thriller follows NYC officer Andre Davis, played by Chadwick, as he pursues two criminals who gunned down eight police officers during an attempted robbery.
The synopsis on the BBC website read: "An embattled New York police detective is assigned the difficult and fast-moving task of hunting down a pair of small-time drug dealers who killed several police officers when their raid on a rival dealer went horribly wrong.
"After asking for, and attaining, the complete lockdown of Manhattan, detective Andre Davis has only hours to find the culprits."
What did fans make of 21 Bridges?
Plenty of viewers have loved the film, as one commented: "Boseman is pitch perfect, indisputably demonstrating that he has a lot to offer beyond Black Panther. [Sienna] Miller, unlike the glamour support in Stardust, is all character-acting here. [Taylor] Kitsch, in his first (I think) crack at a key villain role, delivers. Matching him scene for scene, and then more, is [Stephan] James. Ever reliable, [J. K.] Simmons handles his not-so-simple role effortlessly. This is an exceptionally good crime and action drama."
A second enthused: "Good old fashioned cops and robbers movie, solid acting and great shootouts. Wish there was more of this type of movie!" while a third posted: "Could have been ho-hum, but Chadwick Boseman makes it much better than that! He really was one heck of an actor!"
© Alamy Stock PhotoA fourth wrote: "The treatment to such a simple script which falls short due to its predictability is overcome by scintillating cinematography, memorable well written characters and a believable premise set in Manhattan, New York."
In a review for Empire, Nick De Semlyen penned: "A refreshing break from VFX-laden spectaculars and a throwback to the pulpy cop thrillers of yesteryear, if not quite strong enough to ensure that Boseman's righteous cop gets his own franchise."
Who stars in 21 Bridges?
The popular action film is led by Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, with the late Marvel star being joined by Sienna Miller (The Girl), Stephan James (Race), Keith David (Greenleaf), Alexander Siddig (Gotham) and Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights).
© Alamy Stock PhotoThey're joined by the likes of J. K. Simmons (Spider-Man), Louis Cancelmi (The Irishman), Victoria Cartagena (Batwoman), Gary Carr (Death in Paradise), Morocco Omari (Empire), Adriane Lenox (The Blacklist) and Christian Isaiah (Shameless), who appeared as a younger version of Chadwick's character.
The film's cast is completed by Chris Ghaffari (Prodigal Son), Dale Pavinski (The Enemy Within), Darren Lipari (Welcome to Chippendales), Sarah Ellen Stephens (She's Gotta Have It), Jamie Neumann (The Deuce), Obi Abili (Forgotten Man), Andy Truschinski (The Root of Happiness).
