Bruce & Mos
16 Blocks
Review by Ross Anthony

I'd missed the theatric release of this film, but was happy to catch it on cable. I've been impressed with Mos Def in smaller roles (The Italian Job, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and Dave Chappelle's Block Party) and was eager to see him in a larger role. He didn't let me down. And Bruce Willis (Live Free or Die Hard) is always commanding. It was fun to see him as the beaten down, alcoholic cop.

At its heart, this is actually an excellent film. I really love the interaction between Willis and Def -- the washed up, sold-his-soul-long-ago cop and the people-can-change touting prisoner. The script, acting, direction all conspire beautifully to portray the way these two eventually win each other over despite their fear and hardened skepticism.

But alas, the decision was made to make this an action film. And, yes, some of the action is very good. The first bullets flying scene is shot very well. But, as filmmakers seek to escalate the big excitement, believability suffers severely. Hence, the film slips from the A range to my B range. But, I still enjoyed it. Surprisingly, the film sports a very good message.

David Morse also delivers as the bad cop ever-looking for an easy solution as solutions begin to be harder to find.

-- Book Contest --


  • 16 Blocks. Copyright © 2006.
  • Starring Bruce Willis, Mos Def, David Morse, Jenna Stern, Casey Sander, Cylk Cozart, David Zayas, Robert Racki, Conrad Pla, Hechter Ubarry..
  • Directed by Richard Donner..
  • Screenplay by Richard Wenk.
  • Produced by Jim Van Wyck, John Thompson, Arnold Rifkin, Avi Lerner, Randall Emmett at Warner \Bros/Alcon/Millennium.

Grade..........................B+ (2.5/4)


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Copyright © 1998-2023 Ross Anthony, Author - Speaker - Solo World Circumnavigator In addition to reviewing films and interviewing celebs at HollywoodReportCard.com, traveling the world, composing great music, motivational speaking, Mr. Anthony also runs his own publishing company in the Los Angeles area. While traversing the circumference of the planet writing books and shooting documentaries, Mr. Anthony has taught, presented for, worked &/or played with locals in over 30 countries & 100 cities (Nairobi to Nagasaki). He's bungee-jumped from a bridge near Victoria Falls, wrestled with lions in Zimbabwe, crashed a Vespa off a high mountain road in Taiwan, and ridden a dirt bike across the States (Washington State to Washington DC). To get signed books ("Rodney Appleseed" to "Jinshirou") or schedule Ross to speak check out: www.RossAnthony.com or call 1-800-767-7186. Go into the world and inspire the people you meet with your love, kindness, and whatever it is you're really good at. Check out books by Ross Anthony. Rand() functions, Pho chicken soup, rollerblading, and frozen yogurt (w/ blueberries) also rock! (Btw, rand is short for random. It can also stand for "Really Awkward Nutty Dinosaurs" -- which is quite rand, isn't it?) Being alive is the miracle. Special thanks to Ken Kocanda, HAL, Jodie Keszek, Don Haderlein, Mom and Pops, my family, R. Foss, and many others by Ross Anthony. Galati-FE also deserves a shout out. And thanks to all of you for your interest and optimism. Enjoy great films, read stirring novels, grow.


Last Modified: Monday, 20-Aug-2007 11:02:13 PDT