Official Movie Website Theatrical Release 03/03/06 Home Video 06/13/06 MPAA Rating Rated R for violence, intense sequences of action, and some strong language Running Time 1 hour 42 minutes Genre Action Director Richard Donner Writer Richard Wenk Cast Bruce Willis, Mos Def, David Morse, Alfre Woodard Studio Warner Brothers |
16 BLOCKS
SYNOPSIS
All he wanted to do was go home and get a drink.
But at 8:02 a.m., hungover NYPD detective Jack
Mosley (BRUCE WILLIS) is assigned a seemingly
simple task. Petty criminal Eddie Bunker (MOS DEF)
is set to testify before a grand jury at 10:00 a.m. and
needs to be taken from lock-up to the courthouse,
16 blocks away. It should take Jack 15 minutes to
drop him off at the courthouse and get home.
Broken down, out of shape, with a bad leg and a
serious drinking problem, Jack's role on the force is
simple - clock in, clock out and stay out of trouble in
between. He's in no mood to deal with a punk who's
been in and out of jail for more than half his life. But
beneath the punk in Eddie lies a man committed to
turning his life around and constantly searching for
"signs" that will lead him to a brighter future. Jack
knows better, though - people don't change. In Eddie
he sees only a pathetic rat who was offered a sweet
deal... a rat he will be rid of soon enough.
All he wanted to do was go home and get a drink.
But at 8:02 a.m., hungover NYPD detective Jack
Mosley (BRUCE WILLIS) is assigned a seemingly
simple task. Petty criminal Eddie Bunker (MOS DEF)
is set to testify before a grand jury at 10:00 a.m. and
needs to be taken from lock-up to the courthouse,
16 blocks away. It should take Jack 15 minutes to
drop him off at the courthouse and get home.
Broken down, out of shape, with a bad leg and a
serious drinking problem, Jack's role on the force is
simple - clock in, clock out and stay out of trouble in
between. He's in no mood to deal with a punk who's
been in and out of jail for more than half his life. But
beneath the punk in Eddie lies a man committed to
turning his life around and constantly searching for
"signs" that will lead him to a brighter future. Jack
knows better, though - people don't change. In Eddie
he sees only a pathetic rat who was offered a sweet
deal... a rat he will be rid of soon enough.
When Jack shoves Eddie into the back of his car and pulls out into the morning New York city rush hour,
he doesn't notice the van looming behind them. His head throbbing, and Eddie's flair for conversation
only making it worse, Jack stops off at the local liquor store to pick up some breakfast. As Eddie waits
inside the locked car, fuming at getting stuck with Jack as his escort, he's suddenly faced with a much
bigger problem - a loaded gun pointed at his head. Jack emerges just in time to prevent Eddie's
execution, killing one assassin and narrowly escaping a second.
When Jack calls for backup, homicide detective Frank Nugent (DAVID MORSE) and his team are first to
arrive at the scene. Eddie suddenly goes pale - one of the detectives on Nugent's team is the man he is
supposed to testify against. In an instant, Jack's quickie trip downtown turns into the nightmare of a
lifetime: the criminals that want Eddie dead are actually cops.
There's a history between Jack and Nugent - a dark history that Jack has been desperately trying to
forget. And as Nugent is quick to point out to his old friend, Eddie's testimony threatens to bring them all
down. Nugent offers to stage a mock hostage situation in which Eddie is killed and Jack does what he
does best - walk away.
But this time, Jack has been pushed too far and seizes his last opportunity to do the right thing. A split
second before Nugent's team can execute Eddie, Jack sets in motion a chain of events that will
irrevocably impact all of their lives.
Battling against time and the corrupt cops gaining on their every move, Jack and Eddie fight their way to
the courthouse block by gut-wrenching block. These are Jack's streets, too - and he won't go quietly. In
Eddie, he finds purpose, hope and the strength to do something he should have done six years ago. And
Eddie begins to see that all of the "signs" he's been following were meant to lead him to Jack.
It's the story of how two men change - and change each other - during a tense 16 block struggle between
life and death.
--© Warner Bros.
he doesn't notice the van looming behind them. His head throbbing, and Eddie's flair for conversation
only making it worse, Jack stops off at the local liquor store to pick up some breakfast. As Eddie waits
inside the locked car, fuming at getting stuck with Jack as his escort, he's suddenly faced with a much
bigger problem - a loaded gun pointed at his head. Jack emerges just in time to prevent Eddie's
execution, killing one assassin and narrowly escaping a second.
When Jack calls for backup, homicide detective Frank Nugent (DAVID MORSE) and his team are first to
arrive at the scene. Eddie suddenly goes pale - one of the detectives on Nugent's team is the man he is
supposed to testify against. In an instant, Jack's quickie trip downtown turns into the nightmare of a
lifetime: the criminals that want Eddie dead are actually cops.
There's a history between Jack and Nugent - a dark history that Jack has been desperately trying to
forget. And as Nugent is quick to point out to his old friend, Eddie's testimony threatens to bring them all
down. Nugent offers to stage a mock hostage situation in which Eddie is killed and Jack does what he
does best - walk away.
But this time, Jack has been pushed too far and seizes his last opportunity to do the right thing. A split
second before Nugent's team can execute Eddie, Jack sets in motion a chain of events that will
irrevocably impact all of their lives.
Battling against time and the corrupt cops gaining on their every move, Jack and Eddie fight their way to
the courthouse block by gut-wrenching block. These are Jack's streets, too - and he won't go quietly. In
Eddie, he finds purpose, hope and the strength to do something he should have done six years ago. And
Eddie begins to see that all of the "signs" he's been following were meant to lead him to Jack.
It's the story of how two men change - and change each other - during a tense 16 block struggle between
life and death.
--© Warner Bros.
BRENDA AND DAVID
Jack Mosley (Bruce Willis), a broken down New York cop, is more interested in his next drink than his
next assignment. Jack has been assigned to transport a witness, Eddie Bunker (Mos Def) to the
courthouse from his jail cell - 16 Blocks away - to testify against New York detectives. Things aren't
going too smoothly as someone tries to put a bullet in Eddie's head as Jack stops by the liquor store on
his way to the courthouse. Jack calls for backup and detective Frank Nugent (David Morse) and boys
arrive. Frank tells Jack that if his witness testifies it will bring down a lot of New York police officers and
these guys are out to silence Eddie permanently before he gets to the courthouse. Bruce Willis and Mos
Def are no Mel Gibson and Danny Glover but 16 Blocks, directed by Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon), has
enough action to make this film entertaining from start to finish.
Jack Mosley (Bruce Willis), a broken down New York cop, is more interested in his next drink than his
next assignment. Jack has been assigned to transport a witness, Eddie Bunker (Mos Def) to the
courthouse from his jail cell - 16 Blocks away - to testify against New York detectives. Things aren't
going too smoothly as someone tries to put a bullet in Eddie's head as Jack stops by the liquor store on
his way to the courthouse. Jack calls for backup and detective Frank Nugent (David Morse) and boys
arrive. Frank tells Jack that if his witness testifies it will bring down a lot of New York police officers and
these guys are out to silence Eddie permanently before he gets to the courthouse. Bruce Willis and Mos
Def are no Mel Gibson and Danny Glover but 16 Blocks, directed by Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon), has
enough action to make this film entertaining from start to finish.
© 2003 St. Louis Movie Review Weekly. All rights reserved, except where indicated.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
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