03/31/06 16 Blocks

16 Blocks (2006), directed byRichard Donner

watched w/ Leslie, Shanna & Joel; theater (Crossroads 20 Cinema, Cary, NC)

I normally wouldn't choose to see a movie of this ilk at the theater brand new...this is more at $1 movie speed but peer pressure can be a mofo, and we were going out with friends for dinner & a movie. All around it is a decent mismatched buddy flick, with some thrilling action, funny dialgoue, and a race against the clock. Bruce Willis (who is perfect for these bad-ass loser/hero roles) plays an aging washed-up drunk of a cop who must transport a key witness from his holdnig cell to the courthouse in under 2 hours, you guessed it, for 16 city blocks. Mos Def plays the lightweight criminal who is trying to get past his petty thefts and straighten his life out by opening a themed bakery in Seattle, where he hopes to meet his long lost sister. You get to know all of this because Mos Def's character is a motormouth, who just can't shut up when the grizzly Willis' character barks his orders. They start off on the wrong foot, but once challenged by his fellow crooked cops & a lingering cover-up scandal that Mos Def is key witness to, the team must work together to escape the APB and make a stand for justice. NYC is a big city, and 16 blocks of it is turned into a 2 hour film of chase scenes, shootouts, and hostage negotiations. Both Willis and Mos Def are really good actors, even though Def's accent in the film is annoying. The tale is a redemptive one for both men, who are struggling with their pasts & present consciences to set things right. A good flick, just wait for the $1 theater or rental.

3 out of 5 stars