Official Synopsis:
From Lethal Weapon director Richard Donner comes "a hard-to-beat thriller" (Gene Shalit, Today/ NBC-TV). Bruce Willis hits the mark as Jack Mosley, a broken-down New York City police detective assigned to escort a petty criminal (Mos Def) from the precinct to the courthouse. The seemingly simple 16-block journey becomes a test of character fro them when Jack's ex-partners attempt to stop them. Its' the gripping story of how two men change each other during a tense 118-minute struggle between life and death.
Our Take:
It's been a while since the heyday of Richard Donner's career with films like Superman, the Lethal Weapon films, The Goonies, Scrooged, and LadyHawke. His last decade's worth of work has seen some duds like Assassins, Conspiracy Theory, and, ugh, Timeline. With 16 Blocks, Donner finds himself again and turns in a solidly engaging thriller. Just like Joel Schumacher proved he could still make good films with Phone Booth (I know, I know, it had very mixed reactions, but I dug it big time), Donner reminds us that he still has a few tricks left.
16 Blocks isn't the smartest or cleverest or most action-packed thriller in recent years, but it is thoroughly enjoyable. Bruce Willis does his usual Bruce Willis (never a bad thing, really), although it's a more tired, weary version of his standard cop character. The real standout here, though, is David Morse. I've been a fan of Morse's for years, but he is absolutely captivating here. His is the type of role that could have gone to any hack actor, but Morse infuses it with such energy and intensity that you can't take your eyes off him whenever he's on screen.
The DVD unfortunately only comes with a smattering of extra features, including:
* Alternate Ending (6 minutes) - The ending that was actually filmed first and intended to be used. Features an introduction by Richard Donner and writer Richard Wenk. This ending can be viewed via the special features or with the film instead of the original ending.
* Deleted Scenes - Twenty minutes of deleted scenes with audio (and sometimes video) commentary by Donner and Wenk. Oddly, these do not seem to be able to be viewed without the commentary.
16 Blocks wasn't a giant hit at the box office, but like a similar Willis flick from last year, Hostage, it was unjustly ignored. If you like a good action thriller, 16 Blocks should have everything you need.
Overall Picture:
Movie: B+
DVD: B-
- Mike Spring
Editor
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