16 Blocks
Bruce Willis is Jack Mosley, an aged cop sitting on retirement in 16 BLOCKS. He's not concerned about catching criminals, he just wants to get through each working day, usually with help of a bottle or two until he can grab his pension. After a typical rough day, Jack is ready to go home so he can drink some more in front of the t.v. when his boss assigns him to transport a witness 16 blocks to his personal hearing which he has to make conveniently for the film's length, in two hours or the jury's term expires. That witness is Eddie Bunker, who Mos Def strangely plays with one of the most annoying voices in the history of film. He talks and talks and talks about how he has been mistreated and that he's not really a criminal with vocals worse than hearing a baby constantly cry for two hours. It's a brave choice from Def, who puts on this voice for the character and I think it actually works when all logic would say it's a dumb idea. It gives him a nice characteristic and helps carve out his character, but I know for a lot of people it may be too much for them and they simply can't stomach it. Driving this witness 16 BLOCKS isn't as easy as it sounds for tired Moseley, who stops at a liqour store, hoping the drink will drown out Eddie's voice. Whilst in the store, an attempt is made on Eddie's life which Moseley just manages to stop in time by shooting the would be assassin. Someone wants his witness dead. He calls his superior office Frank Nugent (the awesome David Morse) for backup but the bad thing is, he's the one who sent the assassin. Directed by Richard Donner, 16 BLOCKS is full of action sequences mixed with humorous dialogue similar to his own LETHAL WEAPON movie in the 80's. The movie is almost unrelenting. It has one of those real time structures found in PHONE BOOTH and 24, but I'm not sure if it has been utilised as well as this before. Sure the film is ridiculous at points, and situations conclude in a way that would never happen in reality but I found myself really enjoying this late 80's, early 90's action flick in the year 2006.
rating: 3
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A nice return for the urban cop drama in a movie full of interesting characters and lots of explosions and action. Nice too, to watch a movie that doesn't rely on CGI and 16 BLOCKS is the closest film Willis has done to his DIE HARD movies, albeit not in terms of his character.