16 Blocks
– for violence, intense sequences of action, and some strong language.
Director: Richard Donner
Starring: Bruce Willis, Mos Def
Running Time: 1 hour, 41 minutes
Theatrical Release Date: March 3, 2006
Official Site
Plot Summary
Bruce Willis plays an aging cop named Jack Mosely assigned to take a witness (played by Mos Def) to a New York City courthouse, but they find themselves running the gauntlet as other forces try to prevent them from
getting there. (from MovieWeb.com)
Film Review
If you had to make a list of the top 10 action hero movie stars of all time, there’s a very good chance Bruce Willis would make the list. With a smirk, sarcastic wit, and a gun in hand, Willis has torn up the silver screen in quite a few well-known (albeit ultra-violent) action films in recent years. Now at fifty years old, Willis has chosen one of his most unique roles to date in action thriller 16 Blocks. Sporting thinning hair, a mustache, scruff, a limp, pudge,
and weary eyes, Willis steps into the shoes of NYPD detective Jack Mosely. What’s refreshing about the way Willis plays Mosely is it’s easy to forget it’s even Willis most of the time. Mosely is so opposite of typical Willis characters that it was interesting to watch and see where Bruce would take the character throughout the film. Jack isn’t predictable either, and with how troubled director Richard Donner paints his life, it makes the story all that more intriguing. A few moments slow in pacing to match the speed of the hungover lead character, but it all works together for the story. I appreciated the filmmakers’ attempts at making an action film that seemed more realistic or tangible than say an Armageddon or even Die Hard.
I was curious how pairing Bruce Willis with the likes of rapper-turned-actor Mos Def would be. I enjoyed Def’s performances in The Italian Job and last year’s Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, and it’s been neat to see how
different each of these roles are. In 16 Blocks, Def dons a more nasally vocal delivery as he plays a criminal who is to be escorted sixteen New York City blocks from jail to the courthouse. While Def’s character is meant to talk
a lot, it’s not exactly done in the Chris Tucker Rush Hour style, although Def does tend to be funny at times. Instead, much of the film is handled less like a mindless action film and more like a police action drama. And this is
why 16 Blocks works as well as it does. Some may find the premise uninteresting, but it’s the character dynamic that really drives the film.
Another thing that makes 16 Blocks stand out from a sea of been-there-done-that’s is a positive and hopeful message. While message films can be nauseating and even offensive, Donner and company do a fine job bringing home a theme of change and redemption. By the time the film wraps, completing this theme, it doesn’t feel preachy, but is likely to instead leave a hopeful feeling among the viewers — something I certainly have no gripes about.
But while I found plenty to like about 16 Blocks, there is still a gritty nature to the film that holds it back from all it could have been. The language is its biggest hangup. While blasphemy was limited to a couple offenses, there are a almost twenty “s” words as well as a series of other colorful words including two uses of the “f” word before the film’s end. Why they felt this was necessary for the film is beyond me. Finally, the violence is rough although toned for the PG-13 rating. We see several people get shot, with quick glimpses of bullet wounds through clothing (after they happen). Also, when a character is shot through the hand, we briefly see the bloody hand as they rinse it off in a sink.
I don’t know what I was expecting when I walked into the theater for a showing of 16 Blocks, but I can definitely say I was pleasantly surprised with its outcome (sans the profanity). Willis proves with 16 Blocks that he can do more than just look good wielding a gun to save lives. I’m interested to see what he does next…
– John DiBiase, (reviewed: 3/8/06)
Parental Guide: Content Summary
Sex/Nudity: None.
Vulgarity/Language: At least 2 “f” words, 19 “s” words, 2 “g*dd*mn,” 1 “J-sus,” 11 “h*ll,” 1 “a” word, “1 cr*p,” 1 “d*mn,” 1 “G-d”
Alcohol/Drugs: There may be some drugs at a crime scene at the beginning of the film; Jack is drunk or suffering from a hangover through most of the film; We see him pouring liquor into a paper cup while on the job; While escorting Eddie, Jack stops to get a bottle of alcohol at a liquor store; Jack drinks a shot at a bar
Blood/Gore: We see some blood on a dead body at a crime scene; A man holds up a car but is then shot and falls into the car window. We then see blood smeared down the side of the window after the body is pulled out of the car; We see some blood on a shot cop’s leg; We seem so blood on the leg of another cop who’s been shot; We briefly see some blood on a man’s hand after he’s been shot there. We then see the wound for a second while he washes it in a sink and see some slightly bloody bandages around his hand; Jack has some blood on his shirt; A character has some blood on their shirt and we find that they’ve been shot but that it won’t be fatal
Violence: There is quite a bit of gun-related violence with several character shot throughout the film, with a few being fatal, etc…
