I guess you can think of "16 Blocks" as "Midnight Run" played as a straight action movie. That kinda sounds like a joke, but it's a fairly accurate comparison. Except instead of buddy movie, it's beaten-down Bruce Willis and Mos Def racing against both clock and crooked cops. The action unfolds in bursts and the movie would probably feel a lot more generic were it not for the character study involved.
To that end, it's pretty good. Willis (hard as I am on the guy) is great as a burnt-out cop with a conscience. There's no smirking his way through this movie. And Mos Def wrings surprising sympathy out of such a limited role. I can't say whether either one of them steals the movie, but both put in the effort. And the capacity for change is a theme we can all get behind.
7/10
To that end, it's pretty good. Willis (hard as I am on the guy) is great as a burnt-out cop with a conscience. There's no smirking his way through this movie. And Mos Def wrings surprising sympathy out of such a limited role. I can't say whether either one of them steals the movie, but both put in the effort. And the capacity for change is a theme we can all get behind.
7/10