Product Description

An aging cop is assigned the ordinary task of escorting a fast-talking witness from police custody to a courthouse. There are however forces at work trying to prevent them from making it.
Running Time: 102 min.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9719 in DVD
• Brand: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2006-06-13
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 102 minutes

Amazon.com
Fully recovering from the wretched flop Timeline, director Richard Donner brings seasoned skill to 16 Blocks, a satisfying thriller boosted by intelligent plotting and the stellar pairing of Bruce Willis and Mos Def in quirky, well-written roles. Making the most of minimal dialogue, Willis plays Jack Mosley, a boozy, disillusioned New York City detective who reluctantly accepts an assignment to transport squeaky-voiced chatterbox Eddie Bunker (Mos Def) to a grand jury hearing where he's scheduled to testify against a group of corrupt, drug-dealing cops. They've got two hours to travel 16 blocks, but the dirtiest cop (David Morse) is determined to kill Eddie before he can testify; what he doesn't know is that Jack senses something in Eddie's seemingly innocent, optimistic demeanor that he wants to protect. Working from a tight, twisting screenplay by Richard Wenk, Donner turns familiar material into an efficient potboiler that delivers tense urban action (like Donner's earlier Mel Gibson hit Conspiracy Theory) while leaving plenty of room for Willis and especially Mos Def (in a critically acclaimed performance) to develop their flawed yet admirable characters. 16 Blocks may be a standard-issue thriller in many respects, but as a showcase for its appealing cast, it quickly rises above its generic limitations. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Solid Thriller/Crime Drama: Description in a Nutshell
I'm not the biggest fan of these kind of films. That is to say, I don't go out and see every new one as I may a Sci-Fi or Fantasy film. However, I am glad a friend let me borrow this film for nothing more than a change of pace from my normal film viewing.

I don't think there is anything really new here. Bruce Willis is yet another worn down old cop. There are "bad guys" out to get the "good guys". The good guy, not surprisingly, knows the ways of the bad guys because he was once one of them, etc, etc, etc.

What was of great interest to me was Mos Def's performance. This actor seems to be on his way to the big leagues. The pace and timing of the film was superb. For those unaware of the "real time" method of filmmaking, this film is a fine example. This basically means that the film is 90 minutes long and the action you view (the scenario in the film) is supposed to be 90 mins long. I can't express how realistic this makes a film feel. Just imagine a film like Lord of the Rings, but instead of showing other things going on, Frodo does not leave your sight for the entire film and every action he does, you see. Well, perhaps not such a good example, but a new (sort of) cinematic experience to, well, experience.

Dear Director Richard Donner (of the Original Superman Series), good choice not to do the "alternate ending" offered in the special features.

Bruce Wills: Win some, lose some
'16 Blocks' is another so-so, run-of-the mill, if you will of Bruce Willis' attempt to get one person from 'A' to 'B' in one piece when nobody else cares. It doesn't matter who the person is or what the storyline is. The story's the same just the names have been changed. Please don't get me wrong, I love action films, and I am usually supportive of Bruce Willis. However, in '16 Blocks' I could close my eyes and other movies could come to mind. '16 Blocks' could have been the grown up sequal to 'Mercury Rising'. I am surprised Bruce didn't pack a lunch, because it took him all day to get the witness 16 blocks by 10:00am and didn't even do that while falling on his own sword in the process. I would, though, recommend '16 Blocks' if you like action, shoot-em ups where only the right people get blown away. I do, and even though I give '16 Blocks' a negative in originality, I enjoyed seeing it.

Bruce Willis vs David Morse
"16 Blocks" is an excellent good cop-bad cop-thriller: briskly paced, with an intelligent script, impressive performances by Bruce Willis, Mos Def and David Morse, intense big-city atmosphere and superb direction and production. It doesn't re-invent the cop thriller, but it most certainly delivers the goods.
The DVD also includes an alternate ending (a somewhat common practice nowadays and not a good one at that), which turns out to be overly melodramatic as regards Bruce Willis' character, still it offers another fine scene with David Morse.
In conclusion: "16 Blocks" is highly recommended.