Based on a story by Adam Mervis, director Brian Kirk’s ’21 Bridges’ is an action-thriller that revolves around an NYPD detective named Andre David (Chadwick Boseman) on a manhunt for citywide for a couple of suspected cop killers. As he stumbles upon a huge conspiracy in the process, he closes all 21 bridges and locks down all of Manhattan to stop all entrances and exits to the island in an effort to catch suspects. Action-packed sequences throughout the narrative combined with dramatically appropriate backgrounds, which make the scenes more realistic, deliver an intense and captivating watch for viewers. If you want to know more about the locations that were used in the filming of ’21 Bridges’, we’ve come here with answers!
21 Bridges filming locations
“21 Bridges”, originally titled “17 Bridges”, was filmed in several areas of Pennsylvania and New York. Over the decades, we’ve seen many New York-based movies using US states and cities other than New York for the production process, such as “Escape from New York” and “American Psycho,” and that was the case for this Chadwick Boseman-featured as well. Principal photography for the action-thriller began on September 24, 2018 and ended on November 24, 2018. We’ve covered all the info on the specific locations used to film this movie, in case you were curious at their location. topic !
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
For the purposes of filming, the ’21 Bridges’ production crew were seen traveling to several different streets and areas of Philadelphia (or Philly), the largest and most populous city in the state of Pennsylvania. . University City, which is home to several prestigious universities, located in Philadelphia County, doubled as an important filming site for this film. Moving east from there, the team took some shots at a Tinto wine bar, located at 114 South 20th Street in the city. The scene in which Ray and Michael are confronted by Mosto’s manager, Tom, as they seek to rob the place, was filmed at this wine bar. Further east, Brazil Nightclub, located at 112 Chestnut Street, also served as the setting for several scenes in the thriller.
My girlfriend and I watched 21 Bridges last night because, even though it’s set in New York, big chunks were filmed by his apartment building in Center City Philly. Also, I forgot I had this video on my phone of us sneaking around to record them filming part of the stunts. pic.twitter.com/STFFpyuKjc
— Peter Bonilla (@pebonilla) March 22, 2020
When Andre comes up with a brave plan to close all bridges, tunnels, and every other way out of Manhattan while pursuing cop killers, Philadelphia’s 20th Street served as the backdrop. A hub of Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Thai cultures and cuisines, Chinatown is a neighborhood in Philadelphia that served as a filming location for “21 Bridges.” Located at 140 Richmond Street in that city, Kissin Fresh Meats Inc was used by the production team to shoot some additional scenes. Chadwick Boseman along with the rest of the cast and crew members traveled north and stopped at the Fern Rock Transportation Center station at 900 Nedro Avenue to film additional footage for the film. The funeral scene for Andre’s father was filmed at St. Augustine’s Roman Catholic Church located at 243 North Lawrence Street in Philadelphia.
I will see #21Bridges Today they filmed it in Philadelphia and I was in 1 scene as a reporter. I hope I can see myself and all my other movie friends. The photo is filmed by us, I’m in the middle in a light beige coat. pic.twitter.com/XLVOzJFgYg
— Tara Broadway🎬 (@TaraBroadway) November 22, 2019
Delaware County, Pennsylvania
In addition to Philadelphia, the “21 Bridges” production team was also spotted filming crucial scenes at Sun Center Studios, located at 250 North Commerce Drive, Chester Township in Delaware County.
Manhattan, New York
It is only fitting that the movie named ’21 Bridges’ uses one of the most magnificent and iconic bridges in New York, the Brooklyn Bridge. The Manhattan-Brooklyn bridge is used as a backdrop in several scenes when the team was filming in Manhattan, the smallest of New York’s five boroughs. Additionally, there was another nightclub scene in the film which was shot at the nightclub located at 18 Little West 12th Street between Greenwich and Washington Streets. Additional photography for the action thriller was taken at Washington Street, located between Little West 12th Street and Gansevoort Street.
Several scenes, including the scene where Andre asks Frankie for his phone to better understand the events that just happened, were filmed at Grand Central Terminal. It is a commuter rail terminal station located at 89 East 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. In addition to the scenes that were filmed inside, a few shots were also filmed at the entrance to this terminal station, using 42nd Street and Vanderbilt Avenue as the backdrop. The scene where André is seen hurriedly leaving the station to get to the bottom of things was filmed here.
Brooklyn, New York
The second most densely populated borough, Brooklyn, also served as a filming location for various important scenes. Specifically, Brooklyn Navy Yard, located at 63 Flushing Avenue in this borough, was used to shoot several scenes, including the scene in which Andre reminisces about his childhood while gazing at the city skyline. Additionally, the Ditmas Park neighborhood in the Flatbush neighborhood also served as a critical destination for the filming of some scenes. To be specific, a house in Brooklyn served as the home of Captain McKenna (JK Simmons) in the film, which is located at 277 Stratford Road and Slocum Place in that neighborhood. The community of Ditmas Park has served as a filming location for many films such as “Blood Ties” and “Malcolm X”.
Read more: Is 21 Bridges based on a true story?
