Imagine you are driving through a severe hurricane and at a bus stop you see three people: a dying old lady, your best friend and the love of your life. You only have room in your car for one person. Who do you pick up?
In 16 Blocks, Eddie Bunker (rapper Mos Def) proposes that riddle to Detective Jack Mosley (a very aged Bruce Willis). The depressed, middle-aged Mosley is assigned to transport Bunker to a downtown courthouse, where he will testify against an officer of the New York Police Department.
Like the character in the riddle, Mosley faces a moral dilemma when he learns his fellow cops want to kill Bunker before he can testify against their colleague. Should he protect his trusted friends or help a stranger in need?
Mosley, with his bad leg and penchant for booze, is a joke at the police station. So when his longtime partner Frank (David Morse, The Green Mile) asks him to turn a blind eye to the murder scheme, old Mosley proves he is still worth a damn by helping Bunker escape his would-be assassins. Mosley has an hour and a half to move Bunker 16 blocks to the courthouse without being found by the crooked cops.
Director Richard Donner is no stranger to action films, having helmed the entire Lethal Weapon series. Although not nearly as witty, 16 Blocks still boasts a fair amount of action and holds its own in the tried-but-true “last good cop” genre.
The role of Mosley is reminiscent of Willis’ performance in Sin City as the aging Detective Hartigan who desperately tried to prove his worth by saving a young girl. Unlike Hartigan, Mosley is not trying to be a hero, but once he’s committed to protecting Bunker, he’s desperate to prove he’s capable of saving him.
In this recent role, Willis lacks the tough-guy charm from his glory days (read: Die Hard), but the transformation is intentional. Mosley is no action hero – he’s just a tired lush with a shady past. Unlike watching Harrison Ford hobble across screen pretending to be tough (ahem, Firewall), we see Willis as a man who is flawed but believably capable of heroism. With a role such as this, Willis continues to prove he can act as well as still fire a gun.
Mos Def is affable as the witness-under-fire with one distinct flaw: his voice. He assumes an accent to sound uneducated. While it may be appropriate for a character targeted by a police cover-up, the actor unfortunately comes across sounding like Mike Tyson. If you can overlook the voice, Mos Def is strong and provides what little comic relief the film has.
The movie occasionally falters in character development. For instance, the script fails to establish Mosley’s 20-year relationship with his partner Frank before exposing him as a villain. But later, the movie beats us over the head with how close the two cops supposedly were. This lapse in character development makes Frank’s exposure as a bad guy seem less shocking and makes Mosley’s decision to defy his friend seem less difficult. It’s a minor but obvious flaw in an otherwise good film.
Despite its holes and pitfalls, 16 Blocks is a film full of entertaining action with a surprisingly cute (yes, cute) ending. While it can’t always escape cliche territory (can any action movie?), it’s an enjoyable popcorn flick with an above-average amount of heart.
Movie: 16 Blocks | Verdict: B
Contact reporter Heather Seebach at seebachdbk@gmail.com.
