Review: 16 Blocks

I don’t have much to say about this film. Bruce Willis stars as an aging overweight alcoholic cop forced to transport a convict played by Mos Def (with the most annoying fake accent that seems to be taken straight from Hollywood Shuffle) to a grand jury testimony within two hours. Def has been witness to a crime committed by some corrupt cops, who decide to take the matter into their own hands to “dispatch” of Mr. Def.

Oh, how good this movie could have been with better casting and the lack of non-stop clichés. Willis is completely unbelievable as an apathetic aging police officer. He should just stick to roles where his character’s last name is McClane. There is no chemistry between Mos Def and Bruce Willis; the two seem to be annoyed with each other throughout the entire film even when they’re supposed to be getting along. This movie could have been ended in about 16 minutes if the two had just taken a taxi to the courtroom instead of trying to run through the streets.

I could almost hear through the screen the thoughts repeating inside Mod Def’s head, “Why am I doing this stupid accent? Why am I doing this stupid accent?”

+1 for David Morse as the creepy villian.

6 / 10