Mos Def and Bruce Willis, what an odd pairing.
Tasked with escorting chatty prosecution witness Eddie Bunker (Mos Def) from police custody to a nearby courthouse, aging New York City cop Jack Mosley (Bruce Willis) reluctantly gears up for the 16-block trek. But with powerful forces intent on keeping them from reaching their destination, they'll be lucky to make it there alive.
Bruce Willis like in many of his film's as of date, has basically played that same hard-nosed cop who turns superhero when things go array. Director Richard Donner has directed all of the Lethal Weapon films and knows how to do these buddy-cop thriller action films, and this shows he hasn't lost any of his touch.
The storyline to this so called "great concept" that I just stated could have been put together better than it was. I'm not a film writer or director so I don't know what exactly could have made the storyline better, but I'm just saying that it could have been better. Some scenes did drag on a little bit too long and the film didn't create too much of a character personality for the two leads to get us to care for them.
The performances from the trio of leads are great. Mos Def is really good in this film and does make this film if his voice doesn't annoy you enough. He brings a lot to the table and is not like many other rapper's turned actor's that we have seen before, he's actually pretty good. Bruce Willis I think does relive the Die Hard character within him a little bit too much but makes this one more compelling and more tragic to where we feel sympathy and root for him. The one great thing about the two is how their connection in the beginning of the film is not good but as the film progresses the two gain a great deal amount of chemistry between the two and it actually feels real. David Morse also does a very good job at playing the villain as usual.
A lot of the action scenes though do seem done before are actually well-played out and just create a step to have another clever twist in the story. The film is not very comedic but takes all that away with it's over the top action.I enjoyed the ending and thought it was very sympathetic but strong at the same time and fully made this film.
Consensus: 16 Blocks features strong performances from it's trio of leads and has some high-quality action but may seem a bit too predictable and doesn't add much to thrillers.
6.5/10=Rental!!!
Media > Movies > 2006 > 16 Blocks > All Reviews
16 Blocks - 11 August 2009
overall: 6
Amazing - 4 February 2009
overall: 9
This movie was probably the best (after the bourne series) action movie. This dirty cops tries to save a criminal that is going to testify against him and his co-workers. It's illogical but amazing because you see that the cop goes to great lengths to save this criminal from being killed by his colleages. I especially love how it ends but I hate the alternate ending.
My Review - 25 August 2006
overall: 9
To tell the truth, I was very surprised to find that this movie is extremely entertaining. With action, irony, and great acting, this movie blew me away! Upon watching this for the first time, I figured that this would be another one of those 'protect the hostage' films. Truth be told, it's not. 16 Blocks is now one of my favorite movies. One thing I just loved about this movie was that there is no clear bad guy; it's all a matter of ethics. Don't understand? Here, I'll explain. Jack Mosley (Bruce Willis) is a run-down, tired old cop who's seen better days. Washed up and hung over, this sad excuse of a New York police officer is assigned to a seemingly simple case: escort a witness a short distance (16 blocks) to his trial so he can make his statement. Little does Jack know that this'll be the biggest job he's had in a long time. The witness, Eddie Bunker (Mos Def), a young screw-up with good intentions for the future, knows a horrible secret about many of the NYPD's best officers, and is going to reveal it. Now, as you can obviously guess, the dirty cops will do anything to silence Eddie and anyone in their way. Also, many other officers feel that these dirty cops should be excused for their wrongdoings because of their good citizenship and talent previous to the crimes. Naturally, Jack finds himself under attack by his good friend (his friend!) and partner, Frank Nugent (David Morse) in no time. Being chased by the entire NYPD, Jack will be put to the ultimate test; fighting for his life and staying one step ahead of the enemy. Throughout the entire movie, you can feel the adrenaline as Jack is put into tight situations and struggles to get out of them. The best part, though, is the character development. Because of constant dialogue (when there isn't gunfire or other action), we get to know the characters really well. You learn all of their strong points and weaknesses, as well as what makes their point of view the right one. This movie really makes you wonder, 'What would I do if I were Jack?', which is an interesting hypothetical question. Now, there is violence and swearing, which gave this the R rating. I would recommend this to anyone who is old enough to see it. Whether or not you watch this with low expectations (like I did), you'll love this. Buy this today!
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