A troubled NYPD officer is forced to take a happy, but down-on-his-luck witness 16 blocks from the police station to 100 Centre Street, although no one wants the duo to make it. I know what you’re thinking! Your thinking “Yeah, yeah, I’ve seen this movie before in one form or another. It’s true that this story has been used in Hollywood; I won’t disagree with you because I thought the same thing. What I wasn’t prepared for was the acting and the pacing of this film.
Mos Def who you may have caught in last year’s release of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, gave a stellar performance in 16 Blocks. At first he kind of annoyed me, but as the story progresses I became involved with his character and wanted to see him succeed. Then we have Bruce Willis playing a bad cop with an alcohol addiction. You don’t immediately like Bruce’s character either. What I loved about both Bruce and Mos is that you find that they are on a journey of redemption and there is something uplifting about such a journey.
The key to this flick though, is the fact that you’re really not sure of how it’s going to end. The director had me questioning myself time and time again. The ending works! That’s all I will say. You need to catch this movie, I promise you will exit the theater satisfied. It was worth every dime of the $8.50 for the ticket.
