16 Blocks
starring Bruce Willis, Mos Def and David Morse
written by Richard Wenk
directed by Richard Donner
This is a hard-nosed, action-packed police corruption story - and a story of friendship and redemption. Bruce Willis is Detective Jack Mosely, a burned-out alcoholic waiting for the retirement train to stop at his platform. One day he is given the easy job of driving a grand jury witness to the courthouse 16-blocks away. The problem is that the prisoner is a witness in a far-reaching police corruption investigation and the bad cops on the force will stop at nothing to make sure he doesn’t reach the court and testify. And, of course, the hapless Jack Mosely is set up and framed as the perpetrator of all the bloodshed and mayhem that follows the two on their journey.
In other words, it’s the kind of story we have seen before. It wasn’t great, but it was good. Bruce Willis is a master of his craft and one of my favorite actors. If you watch this you will also think it’s okay, but not great.