Action Thriller Movie Review - 16 Blocks

 This 2006 thriller is written for movie, so no book first. It is one of those movies that you either liked/loved or hated. But I consider this a classic action thriller of its era. 

What it's about:

"Boozy and world-weary, NYPD Detective Jack Mosley (Bruce Willis) draws a routine assignment to transport trial witness Eddie Bunker (Mos Def) to the courthouse by 10 a.m. The task quickly becomes a deadly game of cat-and-mouse when some of Jack's fellow officers arrive to kill Eddie so that he cannot testify against them. Jack sees a way to redeem his wasted life by protecting the affable Eddie from the would-be assassins." Rotten Tomatoes    

Taglines:

-- For a New York cop and his witness, the distance between life and death just got very short.

-- 1 Witness... 118 Minutes...

     

Cast:

-- Bruce Willis as Jack Mosley

-- Yasiin Bey/Mos Def as Eddie Bunker

-- David Morse as Frank Nugent

-- Jenna Stern as Diane Mosley

-- Casey Sander as Capt. Dan Gruber

-- Director Richard Donner

-- Writer Richard Wenk

Rated PG-13  1 hour 42 minutes

     

Rotten Tomatoes (55%) and critics reviews:

***In its opening weekend, the film grossed $12.7 million, which was the second-highest-grossing film of the weekend.  The film made $51.53 million on rentals and remained on the DVD top 50 charts for 17 consecutive weeks.

-- "B-movie done with shrewd aplomb." Fernando F. Croce for CinePassion

-- "At its heart, this is actually an excellent film. But, as filmmakers seek to escalate the big action, believability suffers severely." Ross Anthony for Hollywood Report Card

-- "The most high-octane action-- pyrotechnics, fisticuffs, gunplay, car crashes, back alley dashes and fire escape leaps-- ever crammed into a pressure-cooked chase lasting less than a mile." Kam Williams for Bean Soup Times

-- "16 Blocks does stretch credulity at times. But ... you overlook some of its more outlandish facets until you are in the lobby and reflecting on what you saw." Bob Bloom for Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

-- "Willis and Def are wonderful...Donner (Lethal Weapon) unleashes a tight, effective yarn." Caffeinated Clint for Brag Magazine

-- "For the dull and preposterous 95 minutes of 16 Blocks, audiences are sentenced to Willis playing a boozy burn-out and a nasal-voiced Def doing his imitation of Porky Pig." Thomas Delapa for Boulder Weekly

-- "Richard Donner (Superman, Lethal Weapon/s) is a respected old pro who knows how to make an action movie that delivers thrills and maybe something to chew on as well." Urban Cinefile Critics

-- "16 Blocks can happily sit alongside Inside Man as an example of a well-made, superbly-acted, intelligent thriller. More of these, please." Matthew Turner for ViewLondon

    

Noteworthy awards or rankings:

2006 Black Movie Award Nominee 

Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Yasiin Bey/Mos Def

  

Trivia (from IMDB):

-- Willis originally wanted rapper Ludacris to play the part of Eddie Bunker.

-- Yasiin Bey appears credited in this movie by his then artistic name, Mos Def. He changed it to Yasiin Bey in 2011.

-- In order to make Detective Jack Mosley's limp look realistic on screen, Bruce Willis put a pebble in his shoe and kept it there throughout the length of the shoot.

-- 16 Blocks is the second film in which David Morse plays the villain to Bruce Willis as the protagonist; the first was 12 Monkeys.

-- There was an alternate ending considered, but they ended up sticking with the ending originally written in the screenplay.

-- Yasiin Bey's character has the name "Edward Bunker". Edward Bunker is a real-life criminal turned actor (thus proving that people can change, in line with the theme of the movie).

-- Eddie Bunker, played by Yasiin Bey, cites Chuck Berry as an example of a man who was able to change his life after getting out of prison. Two years later, Yasiin Bey played the part of Chuck Berry in the movie Cadillac Records (2008).

-- This was Richard Donner's final film before his death on July 5, 2021 at the age of 91. This is Donner's 12th film distributed by Warner Bros.

-- The film's writer, Richard Wenk, has reported that he originally conceived of the project with himself as writer and director. Wenk said that upon hearing his pitch for his new film, Donner "liked it so much that he didn't want me to direct it; he wanted to direct." Wenk tells this story in the documentary about screen writing, Tales from the Script (2009).

-- A Richard Donner trademark: When Jack parks his car to buy a drink, he appears to park outside a PETA office. Donner would often include animal rights posters or messages in his action movies.

My Thoughts:

     This is another movie that I saw years ago and it stuck with me, unlike most action thriller movies that I forget as the credits roll. So again, I feel that makes this definitely worth sharing.  Bruce Willis and Mos Def are magic together and give wonderful performances IMHO. Willis makes you feel old and tired and you can practically smell the booze rolling off him with his portrayal.  

     As an action thriller, practically the entire movie is a chase, but somehow each improbable narrow escape works- probably because they have to work for it. The sense of place is prevalent throughout and you know this is New York City because you feel the immediacy, traffic, and energy in every moment. Unlike so many action movies, this gives you solid character development and I think of it as equally character as well as action driven. 

     While this is definitely a thriller, it is a redemption tale at its heart which elevates the movie in my opinion. I like that there are plenty of moments to breath that breaks up the tense action parts. This movie could have ended right after the climatic resolution, but I love the wrap-up scene that puts a smile on your face.

     If you are in the mood for a classic action thriller by a stellar director with solid acting, look for this movie (I re-watched it on Tubi.)  I would love it if you shared in the comments your thoughts on this movie.

     

Movie Trailer:

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