16 Blocks

Ah the first film of 2006 even possibly worth seeing. In a Richard Donner directed action film, Bruce Willis plays an aging cop transporting informant Mos Def the 16 Blocks of the title to the courthouse. 16 Blocks is a perfectly adequate action film with a plot full of holes and some interesting scenery. What makes this film standout is the characters portrayed in this film. The cops are the ones out shooting randomly on crowded streets. The heroes are an alcoholic over-the-hill detective and an annoying petty criminal.

The plot of the story begins simply. After a long night on duty drinking and guarding a crime scene burned out NYPD cop Jack Mosley, Willis, is given a last minute assignment. The assignment, to get a guy out of holding and drive him 16 blocks in just under two hours so that he can testify before a grand jury. Of course things are never as simple as they seem in the movies. In this case, the informant, Def’s Eddie Bunker, is preparing to testify against a New York cop. It is expected that Bunker’s testimony will cause the cop to turn on the rest of the department unleashing a domino effect of scandal that could bring down a large portion of that particular precinct. Thus there are a number of cops between Mosley and the courthouse who would rather Bunker didn’t make it to court on time.

Bruce Willis delivers his most memorable performance since last year’s Sin City as a cop who has definitely seen better days. Willis sports a close shaved head of graying hair, a gut, and a half drunken stupor that makes his predicament in the film all the more memorable and at the same time pathetic. This is indeed good because the film hinges on Willis’ Jack Mosley being a screw up and a solely worthless individual but at the same time a cop who is seeking redemption and something noble that he definitely isn’t seeing around him. It is nice to see Willis having success playing characters who have a wealth of experience, and the hard habits and worn looks, of a man his age. It certainly beats hair pieces and careful lighting and it lends a level of gravity to a career that has certainly lacked in depth at times.

Mos Def’s petty criminal Eddie Bunker sports the most irritating accent since Madonna in Whose That Girl? It makes the character inherently unlikable not only because of the nasally accent but because of all of the whining. That makes Jack’s stepping up to help him seem even more unlikely and noble. Of course Eddie does have a moment to shine later in the film when he entertains a scared child and he does turn out to be a pretty good guy, but these things are seen in glimpses nearly lost between the running and the whining. Def shows again that he is a good character actor though his selection of films makes one wonder what he sees in these characters in the script that maybe doesn’t make it into the films.

Richard Donner, best known for the Superman and Lethal Weapon films, delivers another solid action film. But 16 Blocks more resembles his work in Conspiracy Theory than Lethal Weapon. There has always been a darkness and an encroaching sense of hopelessness in his characters but Donner spends less time masking those emotions with comedy than in his older films. There is of course hope and the opportunity for redemption but for Jack Mosley it is not going to be an easy trip.

The plot is somewhat disposable. New York City, especially Chinatown, features prominently as the terrain that Jack and Eddie must traverse. The city turns out to be so porous, filled with crowds and basements and rooftops, that it is equally surprising that the characters can be as well tracked and yet also lost so many times. Because of the condensed nature of the plot the action happens in near real time as the twosome race against the clock to get to the courthouse. This means that the mood varies between dark interiors and bright morning exteriors with reckless abandon. It also means that some of the delays and pauses make the movie drag in bits and at the same time it makes little sense when the characters dawdle wishing each other well and dwelling on the mistakes of their pasts. At least there is not an inconvenient love interest or a child in need of some parenting thrown in to keep the heroes off balance on their big day.

Overall the pace of the film is quite good and the movie keeps moving though its premise is questionable. If half of the NYPD were running through the streets of New York shooting around civilians you would think that someone would take notice. Plus with all that the city has been through a cadre of heavily armed police officers around a courthouse would probably cause a panic, or at least a media frenzy. But in this case the media is noticeably absent from chases, shootouts, hostage situations, and standoffs. Perhaps it would make the premise too easy if the hero could just go on television and tell everyone that the cops are crooked.

Despite these functional issues 16 Blocks is a respectable action film that fits well into the genre, moves well, and has a sure hand. Donner and Willis are old pros by this point and they deliver a polished study of two men having a really difficult day. Most importantly the film takes its time and doesn’t go for the cheap, easy, or flashy showdowns. Instead 16 Blocks goes for solid, if unrealistic, tension and develops into an entertaining film.