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People Can Change

MICHAEL ACUNA | Southern California United States | 03/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Veteran director Richard Donner (the first and best "Superman" and "Lethal Weapon") does an excellent job of moving things along in regards to the plot as well as crisply addressing the psychological, moral and social implications of his characters actions in the terrific "16 Blocks." And it helps tremendously to have Bruce Willis and Mos Def in the leading roles.
Willis: gutted, disheveled, disgusted with life and his job as an NYC detective, Jack Mosley... swigging out of a 5th of Canadian Club at 8 AM, limping from an injured leg, looking and acting every bit as a man who has given up on life and waiting for retirement so he can put a bullet through his head. But there is a lot more going on in Jack's head and Willis is very much up to the task of giving him a truthful inner life that both grates on your nerves as well as touches your heart.
Though hampered by a cartoon character voice, the excellent Mos Def gives small time crook Eddie Bunker emotional weight and depth. Eddie's motto? "People can change" ...a mantra that will resonate all through this film.
Donner has tackled some weighty emotional and social issues here: redemption by way of the truth, save a life and that life becomes your responsibility...themes not usually associated with this type of police action picture. In fact"16 Blocks" reminds me very much of Sidney Lumet's sublime "The Verdict" in its juxtaposition of the casualties of basic human nature and its failings and the morality or lack thereof of Justice.
"

A pleasant surprise

Paladin08 | Folsom, CA | 03/21/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"So my birthday was coming and I wanted to hit the movies of all things. Ultraviolet looked like the kind of movie I'd normally spend money on but the reviews were terrible, so after much deliberation with my wife we "settled" on 16 Blocks.

The movie opens with what appears to be a druken, beat down cop played by Bruce Willis, who is assigned to transport a witness to court. He has two hours to get the witness to court, which is 16 blocks away. Sounds easy enough. Until some bad guys try to off the witness. Now an out of shape, old, drunk cop is all that stands between the witness and his killers.

But that is just the surface of it all. . .

We learn about conspiracies and how a witness and a cop are put into some very hairy situations and struggle to find their way out of those situations.

Remnant of the TV show 24 where gutsy, unexpected actions can get one out of a situation or deeper into one.

The acting was good, though Mos Def's voice was just as annoying as fingers on a chalk board. Give the guy some decongestant to clear up that nasally tone, please!

The plot twists were not totally telegraphed and thus appreciated instead of "see I told you they were going to do that" feeling.

The "friendship" aspect of the story was emotionally delivering.

The theme or "message" of the movie was well presented and didn't seem like some cheesy effort on the director/writer's part to make this more than just an suspense/crime movie. On the contrary the message was clearly given and given well, thus accepted easily and with belief.

Overall, this was a very good movie with some depth to it. Worth paying the movie theater price for."

"Who's downstairs we don't need?"

H. Bala | Carson - hey, we have an IKEA store! - CA USA | 07/30/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Jack Mosley (Bruce Willis) is an aging, rundown, alcoholic cop who, at this stage of his career, finds himself at the bottom of the totem pole. Thus, he gets saddled with the menial errand of escorting smalltime thief Eddie Bunker (Mos Def) 16 blocks from the precinct to the courthouse, where Eddie will testify in a grand jury. But what begins as a routine assignment for Detective Mosley becomes a desperate bid for survival as the bleary eyed, hung-over cop and his charge find themselves under relentless attack by focused, well-armed assailants intent on making sure Eddie doesn't make it to his court appointment.

16 Blocks is a thinking man's action thriller. Even though, on the surface, it looks like a suspense film, a case could be made for it to be considered a character study picture. Amidst all the frenetic bullets and chase sequences, you'll find many moments of casual interaction, as leisurely enacted by Willis, Mos Def and even Morse. Willis and Mos Def, in their mismatched buddy roles, put in some character acting and have several scenes where they just have conversations (some on point, some non sequitur), in between the chases. Mos Def's motormouth character, in particular, spends an inordinate amount of time just riffing about suits and signs and bakeries.

Bruce Willis continues his recent trend (see Hostage) of portraying jaded, burnt-out cops who end up seizing one last shot at redemption. He excels in playing this type of role: tired, world-weary, kicked-around, maybe even a little corrupt, but, ultimately, someone not to be eff'd with and someone who can be depended upon to doggedly do the right thing (Bruce seriously needs to patent this character). Jack Mosley, as played by Willis, is laconic, paunchy, shuffling, stuck on the bottom rung career wise, and has a dire craving for alcohol. But the audience never doubts he'll man up when the chips are down.

I'm a fan of Mos Def, from way back when he was just a hip hop artist. Don't get me wrong, he was and is a great rapper. He flows and rhymes with insight and intelligence. And he's great as the host of HBO's Def Poetry. His natural, off-the-cuff style of acting is making folks sit up and pay attention (check out Brown Sugar, The Italian Job, and Something the Lord Made). With 16 Blocks, he comes out of left field with his jazzy interpretation of Eddie Bunker: verbose, optimistic and a bit quirky. The only negative in his portrayal is the grating fashion in which he channels the nasal voice of comedian Eddie Griffin. Other than that, Mos is solid.

David Morse is great as the main villain. He injects his Det. Frank Nugent, Jack's crooked current supervisor and ex-partner, with equal doses of complexity, cynicism, and immorality. Nugent's been around the block, knows the ropes and could care less about minimizing collateral damage. Yet, a part of Nugent still cares for his former partner Mosley and regrets having to put him down. But, in the end, he's gotta do what a dirty cop's gotta do.

Director Richard Donner gauges the tempo of this movie just right. Not too plodding, but not all out action, either. Oh, the action scenes are plentiful and charged with enough tension but they aren't break-neckedly constant. There is ample breathing room in between the pursuits, a pace which nicely suits Willis's middle-aged, gimpy-legged hero, as he actually gets a chance to take in oxygen, in between exchanging gunfire and platitudes.

The sparse Special Features consist of an alternate ending not seen in theaters, several deleted scenes with wiseacre commentary by Richard Donner and his screenwriter, and a theatrical trailer. A film commentary would've been nice.

16 Blocks is a well-meaning movie that is introspective and thoughtful, yet strives to give the fans their money's worth with its done-by-the-numbers shoot-em-up violence. There is a worthy message here trying to make itself heard, thru the voice of Eddie Bunker, that Pollyanna of a crook. The movie has a top-drawer star at the top of his game, who seems, in fact, to get better as he ages. And it's got Mos Def, who I firmly believe will be heard from for a lot of years to come. Three and a half stars and a solid recommendation.
"

16 Blocks

Joshua Miller | Coeur d'Alene,ID | 07/04/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

""16 Blocks" is directed by Richard Donner, who helmed the "Lethal Weapon" movies (I know he did the first one for sure) and has, essentially, a story you've seen before. People on the run from something and have to be somewhere by a certain time, everything holds them up and they eventually pull through. While "16 Blocks" runs slightly different then that, it's basically what I said. Turns out though it's one of the most entertaining, funny, and smart action films I've seen this year thus far. In another role as a down-and-out cop, Bruce Willis is spectacular. He catches the tiredness perfectly. Willis plays Jack Mosley, a drunken detective who mopes around and seems like he's ready to retire. As he's leaving the station, his lieutenant tells him he has to pick up a petty criminal and drive him 16 blocks to court, the guy who was supposed to drive him apparently got held up. The guy is Eddie Bunker
(Mos Def, 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"), who is testifying against a bunch of crooked cops. After two hitmen fail to kill Eddie and Jack finds out that the cops are involved, they begin to run. Heading the chase after them is Detective Frank Nugent (the always spectacular David Morse, 'The Green Mile'), an ex-partner of Jack's. As I said, the movie is very entertaining. There's a scene in the film that takes place in a bus that's reminiscent of "Dog Day Afternoon" and at this same scene, the movie momentarily loses it's footing; but quickly regains it. Looking beyond the story, the performances are great too. Mos Def puts on a Mike Tyson voice for some reason, but manages to deliver a charming performance; Willis is playing a character he played in "Sin City" but he's still great; and David Morse is always great. As for the (actual) ending...It's smart, surprising, and redeeming. The alternate ending is good, but it was a good choice that they didn't put it in the movie.

GRADE: A
"