Cover: 16 Blocks Rating: 0
For a New York cop and his witness, the distance between life and death just got very short.
03 Apr 2010

Details

Director:Richard Donner
Writer:Richard Wenk
Producer:D.J. Carson
Theatrical:2006
Rated:PG-13
Studio:Warner Home Video
Genre:Action & Adventure
Duration:105
Awards:1 nomination
Languages:English, French
Subtitles:English, Spanish, French
Sound:Dolby
Aspect Ratio:2.40:1
Picture Format:Widescreen
Discs:1
Region:1
Release:Jun 2006

Features

Alternative Ending
Chapters
DVD Previews
Subtitles on/off

Summary

Fully recovering from the wretched flop "Timeline", director Richard Donner brings seasoned skill to "16 Blocks", a satisfying thriller boosted by intelligent plotting and the stellar pairing of Bruce Willis and Mos Def in quirky, well-written roles. Making the most of minimal dialogue, Willis plays Jack Mosley, a boozy, disillusioned New York City detective who reluctantly accepts an assignment to transport squeaky-voiced chatterbox Eddie Bunker (Mos Def) to a grand jury hearing where he's scheduled to testify against a group of corrupt, drug-dealing cops. They've got two hours to travel 16 blocks, but the dirtiest cop (David Morse) is determined to kill Eddie before he can testify; what he doesn't know is that Jack senses something in Eddie's seemingly innocent, optimistic demeanor that he wants to protect. Working from a tight, twisting screenplay by Richard Wenk, Donner turns familiar material into an efficient potboiler that delivers tense urban action (like Donner's earlier Mel Gibson hit "Conspiracy Theory") while leaving plenty of room for Willis and especially Mos Def (in a critically acclaimed performance) to develop their flawed yet admirable characters. "16 Blocks" may be a standard-issue thriller in many respects, but as a showcase for its appealing cast, it quickly rises above its generic limitations. "--Jeff Shannon"

Credits

Bruce Willis ... Det. Jack Mosley
Tig Fong ...
Mos Def ... Eddie Bunker
David Morse ... Det. Frank Nugent
Jenna Stern ... Diane Mosley
Casey Sander ... Capt. Dan Gruber
Cylk Cozart ... Det. Jimmy Mulvey
David Zayas ... Det. Robert Torres
Robert Racki ... Det. Jerry Shue
Patrick Garrow ... Touhey
Sasha Roiz ... Kaller
Conrad Pla ... Ortiz
Hechter Ubarry ... Maldonado
Richard Fitzpatrick ... Deputy Commissioner Wagner
Peter McRobbie ... Mike Sheehan
Michael F. Keenan ... Ray Fitzpatrick