16 Blocks

I don’t think this film took the box office by storm and I think I know why. Bruce Willis as a cop? Not exactly a new idea, right? Well, as one dimensional as Bruce can be sometimes, when he’s pushed, or given the right role, he really is an exceptional actor. Especially when he’s given a meaty role like the one in 16 Blocks.

This film is an exceptional character piece. I don’t think many people realized that the film is not so much an action movie, even though it does have its fair share of gunfire. I’m certain that many saw advertisements for it and probably thought what I mentioned in my opening paragraph: Bruce as a cop. Been there, done that. However, this role really does differ from his previous ‘cop’ roles, even if the story seems to be the same old thing.

On the run.

Bruce portrays an old cop, one who has pretty much given up on doing anything worth a damn in his job. He’s tired and did I mention old? At the end of his shift, he’s given the task of going to pick up a witness in a very important case and escort him to the courthouse. Piece of cake. The problem is that someone tries to take a shot at the witness.

Lucky for him, Bruce stops the assassin with a bullet. Now the bad guys are coming out of the woodwork, gunning for both the witness and Bruce. The big problem being that the bad guys are all cops that Bruce knows and works with daily. For the first time in a long time, Bruce stands up for what is right and protects the witness from his co-workers. His conflict is resonant throughout the film as we are given more glimpses into his past and learn more about him and the reasons behind this seemingly out of character move.

Det. Frank Nugent (David Morse) converses with Det. Jack Mosley

Directed by Richard Donner, he shows that he can still make a great movie. He keeps his actors invested in their characters and keeps the plot moving along nicely with barely a lull in what’s going on. There is always something happening to keep the viewer interested in the characters, and in turn, the plot of the film.

Bruce is really good in this movie, showing his acting chops I think he sometimes likes to hide. His performance as the old, tired cop is not like his other cop roles. His look is altered to make him look older, as well, and it works. I put his job in this one high up on the list of great roles he’s done. Very believeable.

Mos Def as Eddie Bunker

I’m only familiar with Mos Def from a few movies, but those movies I have seen him in, I really like him. This movie is no exception. In fact, this movie is probably the bar I’m going to judge him on moving forward. Mos puts in an excellent performance in this film. I know many people who have seen it like to complain about the annoying voice his character has, but to me that only proves what a good actor he is. The ability to stay in character and actually annoy viewers to the point that they complain on the internet shows how good of a job he did in the movie.

Now, I’m not going to say this movie is perfect, it does have it’s plot holes and unbelievable circumstances, and had the rest of the film been poorly done, I probably wouldn’t be able to overlook it, but the acting is so solid that I was more invested in the characters than trying to plug plot holes.

If you happened to overlook this movie for whatever reason, I recommend that you find this hidden gem and give it a chance.

Author: Devon

A dude who likes movies. Well, most of them.

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