How It Rates: ***
Starring: Bruce Willis, Mos Def
Rated: PG-13
Red Flags: Language (medium), Violence (medium)
What saves 16 Blocks from becoming a forgettable police procedural is a barrage of surprises -- not necessarily major plot twists, and not all of them on the level. And all right, Mos Def does steal several scenes as Eddie, a motormouth con with a nasal, Mike Tyson-esque voice. But aside from those two features, it's just another TV cop show.
Bruce Willis stars as Jack Mosley, a run-down alcoholic NYPD detective given a simple chore. Take Eddie from jail to the courthouse for a grand jury appearance. Sixteen blocks -- piece of cake. It's like dropping some shirts off at the cleaners. Eddie, however, is about to testify against some crooked cops who would rather see him dead. When Jack stops off for some booze to stay comfortably soaked, a hit squad moves in on Eddie, who's still in the car. But things go sideways, and Jack and Eddie are on the run, with Eddie's mouth running as fast as his legs.
Willis' character is not drawn for us any deeper than necessary. Maybe it's because Def's Eddie is hogging so much characterization he's not leaving anything on the plate. We know Eddie has a dream of opening a birthday cake bakery, and he's trying to clean up his act. But what do we really know about Jack? Nothing really more so than he's been on the force long enough to have some deep roots and probably a few skeletons, but we don't know the facts, ma'am.
16 Blocks makes good use of several foot chases, dodging the car-chase cliche as much as possible. While that's refreshing, I found a couple of plot twists at the end a little far-fetched. Still, they seemed to work, and the picture has a capable handler under director Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon). The picture is a good run for the money, but it won't leave you breathless.
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