16 Blocks

last updated 8 January 2015

The premise of 16 Blocks is deceptively straightforward, said Joe Morgenstern in The Wall Street Journal. Decrepit, hard-drinking New York police detective Jack Mosley is asked to escort a petty thief turned informant named Eddie to a grand jury in a courthouse 16 blocks away. A lot can happen in 16 blocks, we discover, when it turns out that 'œcertain people want Eddie dead, and that those people are cops—dirty cops.' Formulaic? Sure. But it's also a 'œmismatched-buddy movie that's endearing, funny, and affecting in equal measure.' Director Richard Donner does some of his best filmmaking to date, said Scott Foundas in the LA Weekly. He delights in subverting the conventions of the genre, staging 'œefficient, unpretentious bouts of action.' Bruce Willis is also in top form as Mosley. He has 'œallowed himself to grow older honestly on screen,' working with his wrinkles rather than against them. 'œBehold, the American cinema's next master of weary repose.' The brightest spot, however, is Mos Def's performance as Eddie, said Peter Rainer in The Christian Science Monitor. He's a 'œshambling motormouth' who's spent half his life in prison. But he longs to go straight and become a baker of children's birthday cakes. That's a dumb conceit, yet 'œMos Def makes it work.'

Rating: PG-13