16 Blocks Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
For a New York cop and his witness, the distance between life and death just got very short.
1 Witness... 118 Minutes...
Jack Mosley, a burnt-out detective, is assigned the unenviable task of transporting a fast-talking convict from jail to a courthouse 16 blocks away. However, along the way he learns that the man is supposed to testify against Mosley's colleagues, and the entire NYPD wants him dead. Mosley must choose between loyalty to his colleagues and protecting the witness, and never has such a short distance seemed so long...
| Bruce Willis | Jack Mosley |
| Mos Def | Eddie Bunker |
| David Morse | Frank Nugent |
| Steve Nuke | Undercover NARC |
| Jim Lavin | Detective |
| Richard Donner |
6.70 out of 10 (16423 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Most annoying personality of the year award goes to...
posted on 28 Aug 2009I am giving nothing away that is not already in the trailers for this movie by saying Bruce Willis plays an aging cop who is asked to take a suspect (Mos Def) 16 blocks to the court house. The bad guys are basically trying to stop them getting there. If this sounds like the plot of The Gauntlet I don't think its just some wild coincidence.Lets digress for a moment. If you have seen Dumb and Dumber there is a scene set in the truck where Jim Carey says "Do you want to hear the most annoying sounds in the world?" and then he makes a truly annoying sound. Thats how Mos Def speaks in this movie! I found his incessant nasal drawl utterly annoying. Mind you he could have been reciting Shakespeare for all I knew. I could barely understand what he was saying. English subtitles would have definitely helped.In brief this movie could have really worked for me if Mos Def was battered to death by an angry cinema audience early on and Bruce Willis had to carry his body for 16 blocks.
Terrible
posted on 26 Aug 2009While this movie was exciting enough to keep you watching, overall, it was a disappointing mess of clichés. The drunk down-on-his-luck cop who rights the ship. The almost Buddha-like wisdom and observations of a regular guy who has struggled in life but just needs that helping hand. The cold and callous cop who doesn't mind killing as many people as he has to in order to avoid getting in trouble. In the end, everyone is happy. The only redeeming qualities about this movie was the fact that I only paid 3$ to see it and that it gave me an excuse to drink (depression brought on by the fact that people like such terrible messes).If you want a movie that goes bang and you don't have to think about, knock yourself out on this one.
Not as Bad as the Gauntlet
posted on 24 Aug 2009I read other user reviews before I watched this movie. I was ready to dislike it. But, it wasn't really bad at all. Yes, it does borrow from lots of other movies: The Gauntlet (a really dreadful stupid movie), Witness, Midnight Run, The Getaway, 48 Hours, maybe even Sugarland Express a little.It was mildly entertaining, but with some serious faults. Mos Def does not quickly capture our hearts, due to his irritating nasal monotonous voice; and he never shuts up! Willis was maybe a little TOO world-weary. For some reason, David Morse's little beard annoyed me, although his was a good performance. I found the fact that everyone in the picture referred to Eddie Bunker (Def's character) as "the Kid" a bit wearing on the nerves, as he is clearly not a kid. And the ending was a bit confusing. It seemed to imply that Willis somehow planned to go thorough all this, even when he clearly only got the escorting job by chance.It is Willis, however, who carries the picture. Weary or not, his skill and screen presence made the difference. Def, despite his non-stop banter, in the long run does a decent job conveying the humanity of a minor street hood trying to get his ticket out of the 'hood punched.It was OK.
Not Donner's best, but he makes it work
posted on 22 Aug 2009When it comes to directors, Richard Donner is among the best. The man has dabbled in just about every genre: horror, comedy, drama, fantasy, and of coarse, action. Few directors know action like Donner. His Lethal Weapon series has continuously helped reinvent modern cinema. However, after his 2003 sci-fi flick failed, he went through a dry spell. With the announcement of 16 Blocks, I was hoping that Donner would come back better than ever. While that didn't happen, 16 Blocks is a rarity in the 2000s: an action thriller that is exactly suspenseful and actually well directed. The key to enjoying 16 Blocks is realizing that there are dozens of clichés in the script. One must get back the lack of originality and the Mos Def using an annoying voice for the whole running time. If those two major pitfalls can be ignored then it's very easy to revel in Donner's top-notch direction. The opening scenes set up the pace for the film, which is fast, furious, and tight. The atmosphere is almost perfect. Bruce Willis adds credibility to the scenarios going on around him. There's a nice reference to 16 Blocks in Willis' latest, Live Free or Die Hard. 'Blocks' and 'Live Free' are Willis' greatest action pictures of the past ten years. I'd love see Donner team with Willis again, preferably on a Die Hard flick. 7/10
16 Blocks
posted on 12 Aug 2009Jack Mosley: tape recording, "This is Detective Jack Mosley, Shield number 227. I guess this will be my last will and testament. This is for Diane. Now, they're gonna come talk to you and they're gonna tell you things. But what they tell you isn't really what happen. So Diane, I think you should know what really happened. I was trying to do a good thing." All he wanted to do was go home and get a drink.But at 8:02 a.m., hungover NYPD detective Jack Mosley (Bruce Willis) is assigned a seemingly simple task. Petty criminal Eddie Bunker (Mos Def) is set to testify before a grand jury at 10:00 a.m. and needs to be taken from lock-up to the courthouse, 16 blocks away. It should take Jack 15 minutes to drop him off at the courthouse and get home.But when assassins try to take Eddie out, Jack realizes there's more to this assignment than he'd anticipated and he calls for backup. Homicide detective Frank Nugent (David Morse) and his team are first to arrive at the scene. Eddie suddenly goes pale. One of the detectives on Nugent's team is the man he is supposed to testify against. In an instant, Jack's quick trip downtown turns into the nightmare of a lifetime: the criminals that want Eddie dead are actually cops.16 Blocks is right up Richard Donner's alley, the helmer of the Lethal Weapon franchise so its no surprise that he nailed this film from the get-go. This time however, there's no buddy cops and psychopathic albino jack rabbits involved, its only a man and his prisoner against a hundred renegade NYPD cops. The man, Jack Mosely is portrayed by Bruce Willis, the everyman hero who is assigned a seemingly easy task that turns awry in a quick second, it is no doubt that Bruce has mastered the role of being a cop well with the success of the Die Hard saga and a couple of stand alone cop roles in some other films. The only thing that's different from his other cop roles is that he's not bald. Bald or not bald, he still kicks a$$.The prisoner, Eddie Bunker is portrayed by Mos Def, a surprising turn from the rapper but effective nonetheless. The plot is an amazing thrill ride with the perfect combination of action and suspense and a couple of mild comedy here and there. It is a tense ride from start to finish and you will not be disappointed.
An old-fashioned but nonetheless entertaining action ride
posted on 10 Aug 2009STAR RATING: ***** The Works **** Just Misses the Mark *** That Little Bit In Between ** Lagging Behind * The Pits Jack Mosley (Bruce Willis) is a hard-bitten. hung-over cop who's developing a bit of an alcohol problem. On a day when he really didn't need it, he's asked to escort Eddie Bunker (Mos Def) a chatty, edgy petty thief, over to a court-house where he is due to testify. Along the way Jack behaves unprofessionally and stops to buy some booze- only for men with guns to start firing at his car. Fleeing from the violence, Jack and Eddie take refuge in a back alley bar, only for Jack's old colleague Frank Nugent (David Morse) and some other cops to track them down. Here Jack learns the truth- Eddie is due to testify against some crooked cops and Nugent and his pals can't have that. Jack does his duty and upholds the law- but at the expense of betraying the 'code of silence' and making enemies out of his fellow cops. This begins a wild chase across New York where everything comes out and shocking truths are exposed.Yay, a new Bruce Willis action movie hitting the big screen. But what's this? 12A? That can't be good. But although the low rating will tone the hard-core stuff down, and even be the deal killer for some, 16 Blocks comes to us from the directorial hand of Richard Donner, the 76 year old director of, amongst other things, the Lethal Weapon movies. The film has an old-fashioned look and feel to it through-out, which may cause further distancing to the younger audience who may be more used to the flashy, kinetic Matrix movies, but to those who can see past this, we have an enjoyable and at times surprising little movie on our hands here.Willis is on pretty good form, certainly not the best type of work he's done with the hard-bitten cop role, but, as others have noted, a role he could pull off in his sleep but maybe one he's just a little tired of playing. It's also a bit of a nag that we never learn the reason why he's so embittered, although I think we're meant to infer it has something to do with his wife. Def has the best character of the movie, a typically edgy, quipping but also unexpectedly endearing black sidekick who refreshingly doesn't spout tonnes of gratuitous foul language and give another negative stereotype of his culture. Morse is also a good lead villain, doing his typical stony-faced, low pitched act to good effect.Ultimately, this boils down to good old school entertainment from an old school hack, with a good sense of tension through-out, a few good action scenes like they had in the old days before The Matrix went and wire-feud everything as well as an unexpected sweet, sensitive ending that leaves you on a high note. A prime slice of old school fun. ****
A Crime Thriller with a Difference
posted on 02 Aug 2009This solid crime thriller has two things going for it and one thing going against it. One the plus side it has two different sort characters, on the negative side has one different sort of character. Bruce Willis plays an aging, alcohol ridden cop who is required to take a witness 16 blocks to testify against some crooked cops but encounters a lot of resistance along the way. Mos Def plays one of the most unusual characters in recent film, a character that is both puzzlingly repulsive but at the same time very real and authentic with a core of sincerity and honesty making Mos both a positive and negative element in the film. Bruce Willis' character is a lot different from his earlier action characters who walks with a limp and definitely looking and behaving over the hill.Unfortunately, the movie takes not take much advantage of the street smarts of Willis supposed character and his character almost becomes a stereotypical alcoholic cop (until the tie in at the very end). Overall, this is a decent movie suggestive of "The Gauntlet" (1977) and "The Negotiator" (1988). David Morse interestingly starred in the last movie and this movie. But it is Mos Def that really makes this movie stand out for both good and bad. Seven out of Ten Stars.
Not a stroll of leisure.
posted on 02 Aug 2009Director Richard Donner knows how to make something simple interesting. 16 BLOCKS is a crime drama that has its twists and turns. Out of shape with a serious drinking problem, detective Jack Mosley(Bruce Willis)wants to go home and call it a day...but he is assigned to escort a petty criminal Eddie Bunker(Mos Def)from the precinct to the courthouse where he will be a witness to put a dirty cop away. The trek will not be routine; it turns into a complex journey when cops start shooting at the beer-bellied cop and paranoid criminal. There are some exciting moments, but it is the chemistry between Mosley and Bunker that sustains the movie; and there is a few laughs along the way. Supporting cast features: David Morse, Casey Sander, Jenna Stern, Cylk Cozart and Brenda Pressley.
Boring movie - watch Die Hard again and don't bother with this.
posted on 31 Jul 2009I love Bruce Willis movies and he rarely lets me down, and Richard Donner is awesome too, but hes been making more boring movies than exciting ones in the last while.I had heard very little about this movie when I bought it and I just got around to watching it and it was the perfect 5 star out of 10 movie cause it wasn't awful nor was it good - just right in the middle.A lot of gunfire and big budget bus crashes couldn't save this movie because the characters were dull and I could care less about any of them. Mos Def sucks as an actor and even Bruce was dry in this movie.It was worth a watch I guess cause it's slightly different than most, but then again you will not see anything you haven't seen somewhere else. Just watch one of Donners great directed movies or a good action movie like Die Hard.
Avoid at all costs
posted on 27 Jul 2009Very clichéd film from the outset as an alcoholic cop transports across (yes 16 blocks) New York to give witness to police corruption. Just pause for just 30 seconds and imagine could possibly happen...yes you are correct. The other New York cops (who for some reason are also all corrupt) make many failed attempts to kill him but for some really weird reason seem to know exactly where he is going. Are they using some supernatural technique to locate them??? well it would probably make this film more interesting to watch. This film actually annoyed the hell out of me and it is rare for one to do this. The reason? I couldn't understand a single word they spoke. I actually had to have the subtitles as they constantly mumbled their words. I was fairly sure that New Yorkers could speak intelligible English. The other thing that annoyed me was that the Mos Def's character couldn't stop talking and it wasn't anything useful. I felt so angry that I had to write this and warn many others...do not watch!
Worst film I have ever sat through in its entirety
posted on 19 Jul 2009This movie was so vomitrociously awful that words are barely adequate to describe the gut-wrenching nausea that still lingers in the pit of my stomach from suffering through it even as I type this review. There was virtually no redeeming value in the entire film, paper thin character (characature) development, slow pace (negligible action in this "action" movie), and lifeless storyline. Mos Def is the worst actor I have ever seen in my life, bar none. His highly chronic-influenced, slurred-speech delivery constantly reminded me of the "Home Boys" from in Living Color who sold hot merchandise on their infomercials except they were actually funny, where as Mos is the real deal, and it's just torture to sit through. The attempts at making him "the Stupid but Lovable Guy" fail so badly it's disgraceful. Then there's the plot. It's so cliché'd and uninteresting it barely warrants mention but let's just say if you've ever even seen even one "crooked cop" movie, then you've seen one that was much better than this one, it is simply at the very bottom of the barrel. I can't believe this is the "Lethal Weapon" guy as those are some of my favorite movies of all time, interesting, intelligent, witty and insightful. In sum, AVOID at ALL costs and you'll be VERY glad you did.
Sleeper of a Movie
posted on 11 Jul 2009This movie is a real sleeper! It must have gone directly to DVD because I never saw it advertised in the theaters. BRUCE WILLIS, as the burnt-out detective, plays one of his best roles. He is an underrated actor who deserves every plaudit for playing this part perfectly. However, MOS DEF STEALS THE SCREEN when he appears as the fast-talking witness to a police cover-up. He delivers his lines in a credible, flawless manner...comical and at times sad. He lends the thriller a compassionate and funny presence. You'll laugh and cry. The special effects are exciting and believable. Few scenes are predictable and the ending is what every viewer wants after watching this story unfold. The other actors are wonderful!!! Don't pass this movie by. I purchased it for my collection.
Crooked Cops & Friendship
posted on 05 Jul 2009Well, I watched this movie not knowing what to expect. First glance seeing Bruce Willis as a weary cop you do make a double take to see its really him, and he pulls of the role of a weary, tired and distant cop very well. Eddie's voice can get somewhat annoying at points, but he pulls off the role well, though you do somewhat expect him to turn around out of character, and change into a different person - ala Usual Suspects! Still, a great film, certainly one to watch at any time. No real re-watch ability, there's nothing to miss, and everythings laid outright away! Loved the film though, and if you want something that contains messages, action, dirty cops and great acting by many involved, then certainly watch this film!!9 stars
take Clint Eastwood's The Gauntlet, put it in an urban 21st century setting, and you get this
posted on 29 Jun 2009I liked this film, but at times I almost didn't know why. There are at least a few 'standards' (I'm tempted to say clichés, but are they exactly that is arguable) that keep the film a little too inside the box to really break out and be as terrific as it could be. However, there are good scenes, and a central conflict, that keeps the story moving along with enough intensity to keep someone on for the ride. I really liked how there was this equalized determination of the 'job-to-do, come hell or high water' mind-set of Bruce Willis's tired, middle aged cop character, and the dogged ex-partner played by David Morse. Some of there scenes, or just scenes with them on their own paths that obviously intersect with each other, adds some strength to what could be a lot more pedantic and downplaying to the audience. And it also provide Willis with one of his better roles in a while, as a character without a lot of lines (for a reason that is quite clear after a while through Mos Def's Eddie Bunker, funny name by the way), is able to give off a weary presence, like John MacClaine ten years after the last Die Hard without the wit but with all the will of a man on the edge.I don't think the picture is flawless, and this isn't necessarily the blame of director Richard Donner, who has the intelligence with his camera to try not to focus on anything not having to do with character or story. Perhaps it is the script, which gives makes Mos Def the typically blabbermouth comic character, and puts one twist too many for the audience's sake. At the same time there are spots and gaps in the script, or just points that maybe I didn't agree with, the structure worked very well, and the three main male characters of Willis, Def and Morse work off each other to a realistic effect (realistic-movie kind I mean). And, like the film mentioned in the one-line summary, it has that basic premise of The Gauntlet, and yet is competent enough to have its own voice and character. It's impressive that, for example, Donner uses the busy downtown Manhattan streets as another kind of character, of the tension that is all around the cops targeting their one lone ranger, so to speak.In short, worth watching for its audience, with a decent story and good performances. You may like it more than I did, or less, but it isn't ultra high-voltage action, isn't over-stepping with its style, and has some of that good spirit of a lean 70's Eastwood type film, but with the cool presence of Bruce Willis. 6.5/10
boring
posted on 27 Jun 2009I don't understand how this film got such high marks. It was really boring. The plot sounded exciting enough: a cop tries to escort a witness to a courthouse 16 blocks away to testify at a trial that's set to begin in a couple of hours all the while they are being chased by armed men trying to kill them. Sounds exciting doesn't it? Too bad it wasn't.This film was like a cross between Midnight Run and 48 Hours, except Bruce Willis and Mos Def were not nearly as likable as Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy and their chemistry, well, what chemistry? Anyway, after some introduction of Jack and Eddie (yeah, those were their names in this film, apparently as a homage to the characters in Midnight Run and 48 Hours), the film looked like it was going to take off. Jack picks up Eddie from the halfway house to begin a normally routine journey to the courthouse when they are immediately being shot at just a block away. And now there should be non-stop action from here on out, right? Wrong. With our protagonists under time pressure to make it to the courthouse in time for a trial and guys trying to kill them, we still saw them take time out to chill for a bit here and there. We saw them lingering at Jenna's apartment and then chit-chatting leisurely in the bus. It was tough to get the sense of impending doom for these characters when they did these things. Wasn't there a trial about to happen in a couple of hours? Weren't there guys on their heels trying to kill them?The pacing could've been better. And something else early in the film bothered me. To see Jack turn on his partner of 20 years to protect a criminal he hardly knew in a blink of an eye didn't make sense. We needed to see more of Jack's character and his relationship with his partner so we could believe something like that could happen. We knew nothing of Jack's past and his partner so it was tough be believe he could turn on him.And oh yeah, Bruce was his same smug self and Mos was really annoying.
Not like the "Gauntlet"
posted on 27 Jun 2009This movie kept me glued to my seat even though I saw "Gaunlet" with Clint Eastwood many years ago. I think what held it together for me is that even though the story is basically the same, there are so many other elements that are so different this one held up as if it was unique.Bruce Willis does everything well - from Moonlighting to Fifth Element and this. Mos Def does a great job. David Morse knows his subtle expressions that made his character stand out. (Personally I think he should star in his own film. Alas, not being a producer...) And, of course, the streets of NYC are unique for their lack of space!The plot seemed thin to me. I think that's because the director decided not to build the characters of the movie - i.e. you had no history by which to believe them. Perhaps they both had to do with each other. Regardless, as I said above, the elements, all put together, made this movie stand out apart and on its own as a strong drama. 9/10.-LD______________________________________________my faith: http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/jbc33/
Good but not the best
posted on 23 Jun 200916 blocks is a fast paced feature film, loaded with action, I found this film to be average for Bruce Willis, I was not entirely convinced in his role as a corrupt cop, but I think the film is overall; acceptable. Unfortunately this film is the kind of move that you will forget I had to watch it twice before I could write this review, I'm not trying to be critical but it just wasn't the type of film that catches ones attention. I would say this is a good film if you want raw fast paced action. The plot seems to be fair but I would have to question why cops would fight each other with guns, shooting up bars, cars and anything else that got in their way of attaining their goals. This film reminded me of the Clint Eastwood film with the same basic plot line (The Gauntlet, 1977).
Very good movie
posted on 19 Jun 2009This was a great movie. Bruce Willis played a burned out boozer. His only job was to get a black witness from jail to the courthouse. He played his character well. The movie was VERY unrealistic though in terms of how much the cops were trying to kill the witness. I have to say, I wish they would have used Ludicrus as the witness instead of MOS DEF. Mos Def was the most annoying "side kick" ever! I am not exaggerating. This was absurd! He constantly talked, even in the old Chinese man's apartment. It was funny when Bruce Willis thought he could go drink some booze during a fast drive to the courthouse at the beginning. David Morse has aged and delivered the goods as usual. I suggest THIS movie to fans of DIE HARD!
Remember "The Gauntlet"?
posted on 19 Jun 2009Life and death situations are always common in life. When a New York cop(Bruce Willis) and a con(Mos Def) are schedule to go to court, they get blind-sided by assassins from every direction. Mob hit men and rogue cops seems to try to prevent someone from telling something. The duo must rely on each other to stay alive, and bring whoever responsible to justice. The culprits are the cop's partner(David Morse), the captain, and several others. He says he was also responsible, but during the situation there, he decides to get wise. The con is also a talent baker, and he always like to keep him promises to people who help him. And he does. The cop had an issue on birthdays, anyone would when they get older. So when they took a picture of him with the picture of the ex-con, he knows that will be a keeper, for life. Perhaps one day, he'll go out to the West Coast, and check on his progress as a baker. That cop won't be a poor man when he go into retirement. The scenes of the movie reminds me of the 1977 cop movie "The Gauntlet" only with a twist. East Coast, fewer cops, and total trust from outsiders. Not as much bloodshed though, yet the movie has star power. Warner Bros. really outdid themselves in this movie. Great! 4 out of 5 stars!
Pretty good and entertaining for what it is.
posted on 28 Aug 2009Basically everything about this movie indicates that this was just an in between movie. An in between movie for the studios, an in between movie for Richard Donner and an in between movie for Bruce Willis and Mos Def. You can tell this mostly by the movie its cheap and simplistic look, as if the entire movie got shot in only a couple of weeks time. It was obviously not a movie they expected to sweep any awards or break any box office records. Nevertheless "16 Blocks" became a pretty big success, for the simple reason that this is a fine and entertaining movie.Not much was to be expected from this movie, since it featured a simple concept, Bruce Willis with a mustache and a very limited budget. Perhaps this is why the movie surprised me positively. Because my expectations weren't anything too high I simply set back, not fully knowing what to expect from the movie. "16 Blocks" turned out to be simply well made entertainment.The movie is very simple and therefor also easy to follow. It's entire story mostly relies on one single concept of burned out cop Bruce Willis trying to get Mos Def on time to the court house for his testimony, 16 blocks away from the precinct. Yeah of course more happens in between but the movie at all time keeps its focus on its two main characters, which means that the movie also has no distracting plot lines or too many unnecessary characters. So its simplicity is one of the movie its best elements.It's simplicity can also be seen back in the movie its visual look and style. The movie features hand held camera work and the streets of New York were obviously not closed off during shooting and the people in the background are obviously no extra's but real life citizens, who often look surprised as seeing the camera or Bruce Willis running around between them. Because not much got set up for the movie, the movie also has a fast and rushed feeling, which again is consistent with the movie its main concept.Lots of people were worried about seeing Bruce Willis as a 'loser' burned out cop and other people were mad that he kept on doing movies like this, pushing the filming of the new fourth Die Hard movie more and more back. So expectations and anticipations for Bruce Willis in this movie weren't too high from anyone but he simply does a good job, which is no big surprise, since he of course always has been more than a capable actor. Mos Def also does a good job at playing a different kind of character. He could had played his character very simple and safe but he picks a different approach with his character, which also works out refreshing for the movie. It also was good to see David Morse in a big successful production. He acts and plays his character as he had never been away from big respectable box office successes. Simply a good and entertaining movie to watch.7/10