“16 Blocks - Starring Bruce Willis and Mos
def." a review by Rory Coleman
“16 Blocks” is the distance
that Jack Mosley (Bruce Willis) must transport Eddie Bunker
(Mos Def) from the jail to the courthouse where the Grand
Jury awaits his testimony. The Grand Jury expires at 10 a.m.,
and if Jack isn’t careful, and Eddie lucky, they both might
expire before the Grand Jury does.
“16 Blocks” marks the return Richard
Donner, who was responsible for “The Omen,” “The Toy,” the
majestic “Ladyhawke,” and the Lethal Weapon series. Mr. Donner
is one of the most prolific practitioners of the cop-buddy-movie
pic and his attempt to subvert this genre in “16 Blocks” is
appreciated. He is more successful at some points than others,
but overall, the film is well worth a watch.
Donner and screenwriter Richard Wenk
have labored to create a nuanced and complex view of the world.
Both Willis and Mos Def give extraordinary performances of
richly drawn characters struggling with the difficulties and
complexities presented by the ethical and moral demands of
the honorable life. Their failures, and, more importantly,
their recognition of those failures, drive the movie. The
question becomes not so much “Good Guys vs. Bad Guys” or “Will
Mos Def make it to the courthouse on time?” But, “Will Bruce
Willis be redeemed?” If there has been a character in a movie
in the last year hankering for redemption as much as Jack
Mosley, blood-shot, drunk, and with an unsteady gait (note
to the Method: a small stone under the arch of his right foot
gives the verisimilitude we demand from our leading actor’s
limp), I am not aware of him.
This emphasis on the growing relationship
of redemption between Jack and Eddie provides for a different
focus than we are used to in the buddy-cop-movie. Almost more
of a character study than a classic suspense/thriller, the
film doesn’t resort to the standard, visceral, evade/kill
the bad guys formula.
Complicated, multi-layered, a tapestry
of gray, the tension is both excruciating and delicious. Take
for example a bar scene in the beginning of the film. Superbly
acted, written and directed, this scene alone is almost worth
the price of admission. I had high expectations for the pairing
of Willis and Def and this scene fulfilled and surpassed them.
My only complaint, I suppose, is that the rest of the movie
failed to carry through on the promise and potential of this
early scene.
All griping aside, this is one of the
better action/suspense/thrillers that I’ve seen in awhile.
That this is a movie a cut-above the rest of the dreck out
there is clear from the outset. It is admirable enough and
successful enough to warrant a second viewing.
--fortysecondquestion
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