16 Blocks

3 out of 7

Bruce Willis updates (though not officially) his character from the Die Hard Trilogy, John McClane, as he plays aging detective Jack Mosley in this uninteresting, stereotypical cop drama.

16 Blocks (2006) traces a morning’s events as Mosley tries to get Eddie Bunker (Mos Def) from a jail cell to a court house in time for Bunker’s trial. What Mosley doesn’t know is that Bunker is schedule to testify that morning against many of Mosley’s colleagues, including his former partner of 20 years. Vengeance and violence ensues as Mosley tries to escort Bunker the “16 blocks” (eh? Isn’t that witty?) to the courthouse. The real “drama” unfolds when it’s discovered that Bunker’s testimony would also indict Mosley in some of his own corrupt behavior and have legal consequences for him. Thus, Mosley’s aiding of Bunker becomes an exercise in responsibility and redemption. Through this little twist comes the film’s ultimate message (which later adorns a cake – you’ll just have to watch it to understand) of “People can change.”

Sadly, while the film’s message is nice, the means it employs to get to it are boring and trite. The action sequences are good enough, but better ones have been done (see: the Die Hard Trilogy), thus there is no real reason to watch this film.