Synopsis

All he wanted to do was go home and get a drink. But at 8:02 a.m., hungover New York PD detective Jack Mosley is assigned a seemingly simple task. Petty criminal Eddie Bunker is set to testify before a grand jury at 10:00 am 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. 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. In the van are two assassins. Eddie is their target. The trip just got longer.

What The Critics Say

"Willis and, especially, Mos Def, are wonderful in their parts. You believe their characters – though Def’s 'Mike Tyson' like voice is sure to irritate some – and that they’ve formed a bond by the film’s end too. In a lot of these films, you don’t give a hoot who dies or survives – and that includes the hero – so it’s nice to be able to root for a couple of folks again." Clint Morris WEBWOMBAT "While the movie doesn’t do anything much to refresh the standard formula ... Willis, Mos Def, and director Donner make the formula work" "Bruce Willis delivers a painfully mortal, flawed and guilt-ridden New York cop whose sense of duty gets a wake up call." Andrew L Urban URBAN CINEFILE Lori Hoffman ATLANTIC CITY WEEKLY "This is some of the best filmmaking ever done by director Richard Donner." Scott Foundas L.A. WEEKLY "One of the best things about the movie is that it gets its tension from what we know and don't know about the characters, not from bashing us over the head with lame-o action sequences." Chris Hewitt ST PAUL PIONEER PRESS

"Rock music puts emphasis on the beat, jazz puts emphasis off the beat. 16 Blocks is jazz music: It's an action film, but its high points can be found in the punctuation, in the quiet moments between chases or shootouts." michael Clawson WEST VALLEY VIEW "16 Blocks builds a persuasive world of corrupt cops, hidden vice and desperate scrambling, and sustains that vision for longer than you'd expect." Daniel Eagan FILM JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL "Willis has never looked rougher or more ragged than he does here as Jack Mosley, a walking death wish who discovers his sense of justice still has the spark of life." Laura Clifford REELING REVIEWS "Short on words and long on action, Richard Donner's adrenaline-spiked action flick is a compendium of familiar genre components." Manohla Dargis NEW YORK TIMES "Deftly directed by action veteran Richard Donner, 16 Blocks drops the viewer directly into the action, which relies on the element of surprise -- no small feat given today's genre-savvy audiences." Annlee Ellingson BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE

The Inside Story Those who love the action/thriller genre and actor Bruce Willis in the lead role will be pleased to know Willis is back on the bigscreen again in his latest action/thriller, "16 Blocks". This is Willis doing what he does best. Playing a flawed character whom we instantly emphiasize with. This time it's NYPD detective Jack Mosley. Yes, Bruce does play a lot of cops. "16 Blocks" is the story of a defeated detective who finds redemption, and the courage to change, in the most unlikely of men. The films title, "16 Blocks", comes from an assignment Mosley gets just as he is about to sign-off after working the night shift. All he has to do is take a petty crim named Eddie Bunker "16 Blocks" across New York and get him to court by 10:00am. It's a simple job that turns into a nightmare. The idea for film came from the mind of "Witchcraft" screenwriter Richard Wenk who revealed he was "intrigued by the idea of a man who had everything and quit, who meets a kid who’s never had anything and never gives up, and exploring how they would affect each other over the course of 118 minutes." Wenk took his idea to Leathal Weapon director Richard Donner with whom he had previously developed a project. The director immediately responded to his pitch. "He came over to my house and about five minutes into his pitch, I stopped him," Donner recalls. "I said to my wife, 'You’ve gotta come hear this'. Richard pitched us the story and I knew right then and there: I want to direct this." For those who aren't aware, Donner's wife is producer Lauren Shuler Donner who has worked on such films as "Mr Mom", "Ladyhawke", "St Elmo's Fire", "You've Got Mail" and more recently, the delightful comedy, "She's The Man". If it came to knowing a good script, Lauren Shuler Donner would. "I’m always looking for something a little different, something that has substance to the characters and their relationships," says Donner. "Richard created phenomenal characters who experience a great evolution in their relationship and in themselves, all set against this wonderful ticking clock." Wenk spent a lot of time researching the story with the NYPD. "The theme that kept coming out in our conversations was that they all have lines they will not cross," the screenwriter explained. "You don’t always know where that line is, but when you get to it, that’s when you can’t go on any more. And you break." Donner agrees noting, "There’s a line that everybody has, and when it’s crossed, something happens in your life that changes it radically." Nothing could be truer for Willis's character Jack Mosley. "At the beginning of the film, Jack is really on the skids, barely surviving," says producer Jim Van Wyck. "He’s basically given up on life because the bad things he did in the past have eaten away at his confidence, his self-worth and his self-esteem." This sort of character is tailor made for Willis. Why? Because it has two ingredients that essentially appeal to the actor. "For a film to appeal to me, it has to be about the characters, and telling a great story visually," Willis says. And how would he describe his character? "Jack is hiding from himself," Willis observes. "He used to be a good cop who took down a lot of bad guys. But he’s trying to numb that nagging feeling in the back of his mind that says You did something wrong." There was something else that appealed to Willis. "I’ve always been a fan of Dick Donner’s and wanted to work with him," he notes. And was that all? "Richard Wenk wrote a great script." Donner was impressed with Willis. "Bruce brings a lot of depth to Jack Mosley,"he saids. "You can feel the pain of a man who has suppressed something, who just keeps pushing it to the bottom of the bottle." Playing opposite Bruce Willis is that likeable actor, Mos Def who will next be seen in the sequel to "The Italian Job", wait for it, "The Brazilian Job". His character Eddie Bunker "is a charismatic repeat offender, a casualty of foster care who has spent his life just trying to survive. He follows his instincts with a savant-like naiveté, always looking for 'signs' to guide him." Donner says Eddie is "very positive, driven by his beliefs, his ideals and his innocence. Everything with him is a sign. Good sign, bad sign. Jack Mosley is a very bad sign for him in the beginning." To Jack Mosley, Eddie’s just another punk, a routine assignment standing between him and his next drink, and Jack doesn’t think people can change, period. "You ask any cop, and they’ll tell you ninety nine point nine percent of career criminals will not change," Wenk relates. "Eddie is that rare one tenth. Not only does he prove he can change, but this kid who believes in signs and second chances changes the life of a man who has lost his hope and doesn’t believe in anything." "Mos is an amazing young actor," Donner says. "If you read his lyrics, he’s a poet, a prophet, a philosopher. There’s a lot of pain and yet a lot of naiveté, not dissimilar from Eddie. He brings incredible dimension and brightness to the character." Willis points out, "“If you look at the films Mos has done, he’s always different. He always comes up with something interesting. Mos showed up with a take on Eddie that no one was expecting, and it was just terrific." It is terrific Bruce, but it does take a little getting used to. Just ask Jack Mosley. Playing the 'real baddie' in "16 Blocks" is a well known face, an actor who director Richard Donner in fact cast in his first feature film role. The role was Jerry Maxwell. The year was 1980. The feature film was Donner's soulful 1980 drama, "Inside Moves." He also appeared with Tom Hanks in "The Green Mile". That actor is David Morse. He plays a corrupt Homicide Detective hell bent on stopping Eddie Bunker appearing in court. Morse's character is, Frank Nugent. "There’s a depth to the relationship between law enforcement partners and a dependence on each other that goes beyond anything else in your life, even your relationship with your wife," observes Morse. "Nugent has a high opinion of himself, and he’ll go as far as he has to go to get things dones. Sometimes that means people get hurt and sometimes it doesn’t. It’s part of doing the job." When Nugent comes on the scene, the tension and action rachets up. Mosley and Nugent go way back. "When you work with someone as law enforcement partners, you learn how the other person thinks," Willis notes. "You have to do that, because it’s often the thing that keeps you alive. But it works against Jack when he suddenly finds himself in a situation where he’s forced to become a cop again. He’s not prepared for it." Willis is full of praise for co-star Morse. "David Morse is a terrific actor, and he exudes the compassion Nugent has for Jack, even as they’re fighting against each other for their own survival." In case you're wondering, there's a lot of authenticity in the film thanks to Detective Mike Keenan of the New York City Police Department. As part of his role research, Willis spent a couple of nights patrolling Brooklyn with Detective Mike Keenan, a 22 year veteran of the New York City Police Department, who worked with the production to maintain the veracity of all police-related procedures, uniforms, weapons, props, vehicles and dialogue. Keenan, a former technical advisor on the television series "Third Watch", took Willis to observe the aftermath of a shootout, and he helped Donner stage realistic background action with the 250 actors who portray SWAT and other law enforcement officers in the film. You'll also notice Willis's character has a limp in the film. Willis placed a small stone under the arch of his right foot, which helped give a subtle pronouncement to the character’s limp. And here's something you will find very interesting. While the filmmakers and crew prepared to capture the action, Bruce Willis devoted equal precision to the creation of his character’s physical appearance. Key makeup artist Jordan Samuel helped Willis exhibit the signs of chronic alcoholism and premature aging, applying broken blood vessels, spider veins and a flushed look to his face. But here's the interesting bit. Bruce requested a wig styled specifically after screenwriter Richard Wenk’s graying and receding hairline. The Verdict "This is Willis doing what he does best, playing the flawed hero. As he did in the "Die Hard " series and "Hostage" plays a character that audiences will quickly empathize with. Near misses, narrow escapes and keep you guessing action makes "16 Blocks" very watchable. Recommended. 3 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "16 BLOCKS" stars .......
Bruce Willis ["The Sixth Sense", "Hostage", "Sin City" and "Lucky Number Slevin"]; David Morse ["Dancer In The Dark", "Proof Of Life" and "Hearts in Atlantis"]; Jenna Stern ["Picture Perfect", "Random Hearts" and "Hitch"]; David Zayas ["Bringing Out the Dead", "Jailbait" and "The Interpreter"], Casey Sander ["Lord of the Road" and "The Shaggy Dog"] and Mos Def ["Island of the Dead", "Monster's Ball", "The Italian Job" and "The Woodsman"] as Eddie Bunker.
"16 BLOCKS" was .......
directed by Richard Donner ["Ladyhawke", "Scrooged", "Conspiracy Theory" and "Lethal Weapon 1, 2, 3 & 4"]; screenplay by Richard Wenk ["Vamp" and "Just The Ticket"]; costume design by Vicki Graef ["Welcome to Mooseport" and "Assault on Precinct 13"]; cinematography by Glen MacPherson ["Romeo Must Die" and "Friday After Next"]; original music by Klaus Badelt ["Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" and "Poseidon"] production design by Arvinder Grewal ["The Long Kiss Goodnight" and "George A. Romero's Land of the Dead"] and edited by Steve Mirkovich ["The Astronaut's Wife" and "The Passion Of The Christ"]. Run Time 101 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2006 - Warner Bros - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2006 - Impact Internet Services & The Movie Pages - All Rights Reserved