16 BLOCKS
Bruce Willis, Mos Def, David Morse

"For a New York cop and his witness, the distance between life and death just got very short"

One thing you will 'learn' from this movie is that if for whatsoever reason there may be, you find yourself a witness to a crime perpetuated by the police itself, you would want Jack Mosley to be the cop that protects and escorts you to the courtroom in one piece. Give or take, you will suffer a few bloody bruises on your body, at least you are still alive to testify.

In this movie, the unfortunate witness is Eddie Bunker, a dude who talks non stop in a strange high pitched voice with an accent only subtitles can help you comprehend. The New York cop in question is Jack Mosley, a cop who spends his days drinking, drinking and drinking some more to hide his inner demons from floating to the surface of his sad existence. Of course, there is no hiding who exactly are hell bent on exterminating said witness, they only happen to be a bunch of rogue cops/detectives in the New York police department whom even the Police Commissioner is chumy with. Well ... boohoo.

Car chases, chases through buildings, hiding in decrepit Chinatown apartments, chases through the crowded street of New York even hijacking an entire bus complete with hostages - are some if not all of the obstacles Eddie and Jack must endure with lung busting energy.

Of course in movies like these, you the audience is caught in the crossfire. You simply wait to see if they make it to the courthouse. Sometimes even screaming for the hunted to haul their asses instead of strutting and talking about their goals and dreams in life.

Mos Def as Eddie is believable as the petty thief who still aims for a better life inspite of this ehem minor inconvenience. But his voice totally irritated me to no end and his accent pfft forget it. I kept pausing the DVD to ask my sister what he just said.

Who else but Bruce Willis would fit the role of a middle aged, jaded drunk cop. He even sports a bushy moustache to add to the gait of a paunchy detective. David Morse as the head of the rogue cops is one villain you won't want to meet in a dark alley. His steely gaze and impatient facial expression added some strong personality to his character. But to me he will always be the gentle Doctor Jack in "St. Elsewhere", that medical/doctors series in the 80s.

16 Blocks is a suspenseful enough thriller with a twist in the end directed by Richard Donner of the "Lethal Weapon" film franchise. It might not be in the same genre as the Lethal Weapon flicks but it is an ok film to rent one boring weekend. Either that or you can just watch a rerun episode of "NYPD Blue" or "Hill Street Blues", it's your choice.