What might otherwise be relegated to routine cop thriller status gets a gold shield promotion thanks to the winning teamwork of stars Bruce Willis and Mos Def.
In their accomplished hands, 16 Blocks still remains wildly far-fetched, but if you're willing to suspend disbelief, it's surprisingly diverting. It is, by far, the best of the recent crop of “dirty cop”-themed films.
Set in downtown New York, the story centers on world-weary alcoholic cop Jack Mosley (a greatly transformed Willis made up to look aged and dissipated), who is assigned to drive petty criminal and grand jury witness Eddie Bunker (Def) to the courtroom 16 blocks away. Jack accepts the chore wearily after a long night on the job and, one assumes, boozing.
When he parks the car to buy some liquor en route to the courthouse (one of dozens of plot improbabilities), he emerges to find his charge about to be shot. Jack is quick on the draw, however, and kills the would-be assassin.
Shortly after, we learn that his former partner, NYPD homicide detective Frank Nugent (David Morse), is in cahoots with other corrupt cops who want to kill the convict before he exposes all of them.
Taken by Eddie's guileless openness and inherent decency beneath a compulsively garrulous surface, Jack gets his act together and determines to help Eddie deliver his testimony before the 10 a.m. cutoff when the jury will be dismissed, prompting an unlikely, but touching, alliance between detective and criminal.
Willis and Def are believable; one readily makes allowances for the loopholes in director Richard Donner's formulaic action drama. If this were a more serious-minded kind of film, Def's endearing performance would be Oscar material. His chatterbox character seems like a real force of nature, and it's to Willis' credit that he allows Def's scene-stealing antics so much screen time.
The elements of Richard Wenk's script are fairly ludicrous, and the Nugent character is a cardboard villain whose presence becomes quickly tiresome. But, whenever the film concentrates on the Jack-Eddie relationship — which is, happily, often — the rest doesn't matter. One can even overlook the not totally persuasive chase sequences, including a bus running amuck through lower Manhattan streets.
Most importantly, the movie's themes of breaking with the past, embracing new beginnings, and sacrificing for others resonate. Jack believes that people can never change, while Eddie has never known anyone willing to selflessly help him before. By the film's end, both characters will discard their long-held prejudices.
The violence and language quotients are refreshingly low for this genre, making the film acceptable for older teens and up, especially as it's commendably balanced by a positive, life-affirming denouement.
The film contains scattered rough and crude words, mild action violence, a couple of murders, shooting, an alcoholic character, and brief crime scene gore. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
(This review appears courtesy of US Conference of Catholic Bishop's Office for Film and Broadcasting.)