16 Blocks (2006)

A Ton of action in just 16 Blocks!

16 Blocks is an action packed thrill ride guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seats,from the beginning to the end.
It concerns the story of a washed up old cop named Jack Mosley(Bruce Willis).This is a beaten down man,with years of run of the mill details,with a career in stall and with a drinking problem.Just as Jack is about to book off after a long night at a baby sitting job at a crime scene,he is given a surprise detail.He is to take one witness ,Eddie Bunker(Mos Def),16 Blocks from the precinct to the courthouse,as the grand jury awaits his testimony.
Before he goes too far, Jack pulls his car up to a local liquor store to grab a picker-upper and some Advil.Unbeknownst to Jack and his charge,both have been followed from the get go by assassins out to kill Eddie.While Jack is busy inside an assassin comes up to the rear window asking Eddie to put down the window but a cuffed Eddie can't comply.He pulls out his gun and a shot rings out.Jack has, by chance,come out and seen what was happening and has killed the assassin.However a remaining assasin opens up on them and they both barely manage to escape.
They take refuge in a local bar Jack frequents and a call for back up goes in.Detectives arrive led by Frank Nugent played brilliantly and coldly by actor David Morse.All seems fine until we realize these cops are not the "marines" but the bad guys.We learn Eddie is to testify against said cops but they want Jack just to look the other way as they dispose of him.Before they can carry it out Jack intervenes and both he and Eddie are on the run from the bad cops and the rest of the NYPD.
Their escape attempts take them into some of the most seedy places of New York,both low and high,with the bad cops on their heels every step of the way.
The films keeps a relentless pace of tension throughout.Jack and Eddie get into some hair-raising and seemingly impossible escape situations and just barely manage to come out of them;and both receive gun shot wounds along the treacherous paths they must ineveitably follow.As the picture progresses more details of just how deep the corruption of the force is, are revealed.In the end we find out,to our surprise, that even Jack himself was deeply involved with the bad cops and that Eddies' testimony could have put him away with the rest.Jack had always looked the other way in the past,but seeing the mechanism of corruption up close and personal for the first time,it finally twigged his conscious and he couldn't ignore things any longer.
Before he reaches the courthouse with Eddie,and after a smart exchange between ambulances,he lets Eddie go.He decides he will take his place.Eddie is free and Jack carries on to the courthouse and gets his evidence to the grand jury just barely before the 10 O'Clock deadline.
This DVD is presented in the original theatrical version and also comes with a shot but never shown alternate ending.Both are great to have for comparisons sake,and both are equally compelling endings and make good fodder for discussion as to which is ultimately the more satisfying.
The DVD also presents you with deleted scenes all with commentary by Richard Donner and his director.
All in all this film is a VERY satisfying and tension filled thrill ride that shows you just how much excitment can be packed into a 16 Block radius,with the great talents of Willis,Def and Morse along to make it all happen as it should. August 10, 2008

Solid Thriller/Crime Drama: Description in a Nutshell

I'm not the biggest fan of these kind of films. That is to say, I don't go out and see every new one as I may a Sci-Fi or Fantasy film. However, I am glad a friend let me borrow this film for nothing more than a change of pace from my normal film viewing.

I don't think there is anything really new here. Bruce Willis is yet another worn down old cop. There are "bad guys" out to get the "good guys". The good guy, not surprisingly, knows the ways of the bad guys because he was once one of them, etc, etc, etc.

What was of great interest to me was Mos Def's performance. This actor seems to be on his way to the big leagues. The pace and timing of the film was superb. For those unaware of the "real time" method of filmmaking, this film is a fine example. This basically means that the film is 90 minutes long and the action you view (the scenario in the film) is supposed to be 90 mins long. I can't express how realistic this makes a film feel. Just imagine a film like Lord of the Rings, but instead of showing other things going on, Frodo does not leave your sight for the entire film and every action he does, you see. Well, perhaps not such a good example, but a new (sort of) cinematic experience to, well, experience.

Dear Director Richard Donner (of the Original Superman Series), good choice not to do the "alternate ending" offered in the special features. April 26, 2008

Bruce Wills: Win some, lose some

'16 Blocks' is another so-so, run-of-the mill, if you will of Bruce Willis' attempt to get one person from 'A' to 'B' in one piece when nobody else cares. It doesn't matter who the person is or what the storyline is. The story's the same just the names have been changed. Please don't get me wrong, I love action films, and I am usually supportive of Bruce Willis. However, in '16 Blocks' I could close my eyes and other movies could come to mind. '16 Blocks' could have been the grown up sequal to 'Mercury Rising'. I am surprised Bruce didn't pack a lunch, because it took him all day to get the witness 16 blocks by 10:00am and didn't even do that while falling on his own sword in the process. I would, though, recommend '16 Blocks' if you like action, shoot-em ups where only the right people get blown away. I do, and even though I give '16 Blocks' a negative in originality, I enjoyed seeing it. April 5, 2008

Bruce Willis vs David Morse

"16 Blocks" is an excellent good cop-bad cop-thriller: briskly paced, with an intelligent script, impressive performances by Bruce Willis, Mos Def and David Morse, intense big-city atmosphere and superb direction and production. It doesn't re-invent the cop thriller, but it most certainly delivers the goods.
The DVD also includes an alternate ending (a somewhat common practice nowadays and not a good one at that), which turns out to be overly melodramatic as regards Bruce Willis' character, still it offers another fine scene with David Morse.
In conclusion: "16 Blocks" is highly recommended. March 18, 2008

A high-stakes race across town

Though it doesn't feature a big terrorist/caper plot, "16 Blocks" in flavor and tone is not unlike Mr. Willis' entertaining "Die Hard" movies: there's tension, suspense, big action moments, and a personal issue or two thrown into the mix. On that last point, the personal issue here is the Willis character's sudden willingness to wake up and do something about all the corruption around him after years of looking the other way, and the repurcussions of this new commitment to do the right thing. One quibble: the various characters (good and bad) talk a bit too much about Willis' newfound conscience when it would have been more elegant to just let us see it in action without all the chatter about it. But, again, that's just a quibble. Overall, "16 Blocks" is a satisfying, solid piece of late-career work by director Richard Donner ("Superman" and the "Lethal Weapon" films). Extras are few but satisfying: a collection of deleted scenes introduced and narrated by Mr. Donner and his screenwriter; an alternate ending (interesting but not as good as the movie's actual ending, where David Morse's corrupt cop character stays corrupt instead of inexplicably developing a conscious during the movie's last minute or so); and a trailer. The DVD features a sharp widescreen image and good sound. February 25, 2008

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