'16 Blocks' of prescription action and moral issues
By Nick Norman
Sixteen blocks to the courthouse. One cop. One prisoner. And the whole NYPD stands between them and justice. From director Richard Donner, the man who brought us the "Lethal Weapon" series, comes "16 Blocks," a tale of courage, providence and virtue.
Plus some guns and car chases. And starring Bruce Willis and Mos Def.
The trailer practically writes itself.
The premise is simple: a detective must deliver an eyewitness to the courthouse, which is located, as you might guess, 16 blocks from the police station, in order to testify in a high-profile case.
The only catch is that the crime he witnessed was committed by a clan of crooked cops who want to see him dead.
Bruce Willis plays the virtuous cop, hell-bent on delivering his charge by dodging bullets, cars and the stupidity of the witness he's sworn to protect. Mos Def, playing the endangered witness, handles the role with subtlety and care -- yet he sounds . . . slow. He draws out his words with an infantile, sing-song style that is, at times, just incomprehensible.
His acting, however, brings an underrated confidence and subtlety that add naturalism to every line.
For those more concerned with ogling the hunk of solid man we've come to know as "Die Hard" Bruce Willis, you will be disappointed. He's fat, sports a child-molester mustache and sweats a lot. Seriously. The constant sheen of perspiration proved mildly distracting.
Furthermore, this is no departure from Willis' usual roles. He seems forever type-cast as either a drunk or hung-over hero. Even in his debut role in "Blind Date" he played an alcoholic, and it certainly set a precedent for his later endeavors. Every "Lethal Weapon" movie features him sweating off the excesses of the night before or actively enjoying the excesses of the present. "16 Blocks" is no different: he swigs whiskey through the first half and certainly would throughout the second if he could devise a way to hold his firearms and firewater at the same time.
As for the screenplay, the plot twists more like a dizzied cow than a slithering snake. The clumsy narration drags in the middle, but the ending's melodrama takes up the slack. "16 Blocks" presents a composite sketch of every other Bruce Willis film: violent action veiled by various moral dilemmas.
It's a good time, Richard Donner style. Not as much fun as "Lethal Weapon" or "The Goonies," but worth the money if nothing else on the marquee appeals to you.
Grade: B
Contact Nick Norman at (408) 551-1918 or npnorman@scu.edu.