Willis ensures ‘16 Blocks’
is journey worth seeing

At the Movies
By Senitra Horbrook

In 16 Blocks, two men who know how to make a good cop movie, director Richard Donner (Lethal Weapons 1-4) and Bruce Willis, pool their talents. The result is an action flick with lots of twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat.
The script, written by Richard Wenk, held my attention throughout, even though I have to admit I liked the action scenes more than the dialogue. Luckily, there is a lot more shooting than talking.
The most noticeable aspect at the beginning of 16 Blocks is how old our leading man Willis looks. That’s the point here, because Willis plays Jack Mosley, an NYPD cop (not exactly a stretch, I know) who has been on the force for a number of years and is just biding his time until retirement.
There must be something about the name "Jack" that conjures images of a hero, although, at first glance, this Jack doesn’t strike you as one. He walks with a limp and has more than a few love handles, but it’s Bruce Willis, so we know he will save the day.
Fighting crime on the rough streets of New York City obviously has taken its toll on Jack; he enjoys medicating himself with alcohol, both during and after a long night of work.
It is 8 in the morning and Jack is on his way out when his supervisor asks him to transport a petty criminal 16 blocks from jail to court, where he is supposed to testify before a grand jury. Seems easy enough. We meet Eddie Bunker (Mos Def), a chatterbox with an irritatingly nasal tone to his voice. On the way to the courthouse, Jack decides he needs some breakfast, so he makes a stop at the liquor store.
What a costly mistake this turns out to be. Little does Jack know, but Eddie is a witness to a crime that could bring down Jack and his co-workers. The other officers want Eddie dead, and make their first attempt to silence him. Jack has a decision to make: Look the other way while his colleagues take their best shot at Eddie, or do the right thing.
Yes, our hero has a conscience. He decides to protect Eddie, even though it means his own life is on the line.
There is just one problem. Eddie must be at the courthouse by 10 a.m. to testify, but the officers, led by Jack’s former partner Frank Nugent (a convincing David Morse), are determined to see that they don’t get there alive. Never has a short distance seemed so long, as Eddie and Jack navigate through the city while chased by Nugent and what seems like every officer in the NYPD.
Along the way there is a bus hostage scene, full of shooting and explosions, reminiscent of the movie Speed. While a good part of the movie is spent with guns in hand — and there is lots of shooting — there isn’t much blood and only a sprinkling of curse words, hence the PG-13 rating even though there is a ton of life-threatening tension on the streets.
Willis gives a good performance as the over-the-hill hero, in a role that probably wasn’t all that challenging for him. 16 Blocks is no Die Hard, but Willis fans will still enjoy the movie.
I was impressed by the performance of rapper-turned-actor Mos Def, who also has been in The Italian Job and Brown Sugar. By the end of the movie you may be tired of hearing Mos Def’s voice, but you will feel for his character, a man who carries around a notebook full of cake recipes and dreams of opening his own bakery. In addition to his strong performance, Def adds the touch of humor that is needed when the shooting scenes become too heavy with lead.
Like many other action movies, the ending is not what matters most, and it is somewhat predictable. It is the journey that makes the movie.
In this tale of crooked cops, we learn that people do change, and that potential is emphasized once again in this very satisfying film. ••
Movie grade: B+