Movie Review - 16 Blocks

16 Blocks (3 of 5): In 16 Blocks, Bruce Willis plays Jack Mosley, an aging alcoholic cop who is tasked with escorting Eddie Bunker (played by Mos Def), a prosecution witness, from police custody to a nearby courthouse. Neither one recognizes that powerful forces exist intent on keeping them from reaching their destination. They even start to wonder if they will be lucky to make it to the courthouse alive.

16 Blocks is a decent film with solid performances by Mos Def, Bruce Willis and David Morse. When this movie started I was expecting a been-there, done-that, run-of-the-mill film. However, after a gripping sequence during the first action scene in this movie, I knew 16 Blocks was going to be a little different. I ended up being pleasantly surprised to see that 16 Blocks is deeper than your normal action/thriller film. The characters in this movie really shine. They are developed well and are much more interesting than you would expect of a movie of this caliber. There are of course some good action scenes, but they are appropriately spaced out with some compelling moments and a fitting ending.

These types of movies are hard to classify sometimes. Basically, I did not feel I watched anything superb after finishing 16 Blocks, but I would hardly call it a waste of time. It is solid and decent entertainment that is worth a couple hours of your time. In the same respect though, it also feels like one of those movies that, in about five years, we'll see playing on TBS ten times a day for weeks on end.

PS - Yes, the voice that Mos Def decides to use for his character is really annoying.