16 Blocks

16 Blocks – Alcoholic Detective, Jack Mosley, reluctantly agrees to escort a witness to the court house, 16 blocks away, to testify on a corruption case. But when the witness is attacked, Jack discovers that some of his most trusted colleagues are in on the corruption. Refusing to be a part of it, Jack and the witness, Eddie, make their way to their destination but as danger lurks around every corner, will they get there alive?

16 Blocks (2006) – Director: Richard Donner

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4290846

Rating: 12

Running Length: 102 mins

Starring: Bruce Willis, Mos Def, David Morse

Genre: Thriller

REVIEW: ’16 BLOCKS’

Let’s face it, the ‘alcoholic cop becoming a hero once again’ has been done to death so ’16 Blocks’ is already on the back foot with audiences expecting more clichés with the usual impervious, virtuous, tough-guy, Bruce Willis, at the helm. So, what does ’16 Blocks’ do to pull itself out of this mire? It takes away the clichés, makes Bruce Willis fallible, average and tired as well as making his charge, Eddie Bunker, imperfect and awkward so that the audience doesn’t automatically warm to him.

Having said that, the baddies don’t really stray from the norm. Jack (of course) knows those who are chasing him and is close friends with the mastermind. The movie, to a large extent, does descend into ‘typical chase’ territory. However, as the premise hinges on the interaction between Jack and Eddie, their believable chemistry is so enjoyable that the threat orbiting them taking second fiddle and isn’t a major problem. With the ever-reliable David Morse in charge of the antagonists, plenty of malice is brought to the otherwise also-ran villains.

’16 Blocks’ may follow the steps of the average ‘chased by bad cops’ story but making those steps slightly off-kilter ensures that it is different and interesting enough to stand out from the crowd.

CONTENT: IS ’16 BLOCKS’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

A character is left alone in a car and a man approaches him, he pulls a gun out and aims it at the character who becomes very distressed as he has no way to escape. A shot is heard and a hole appears on the car’s window which has blood around it.

Jack and Eddie seek refuge inside a bar but are soon joined by several cops. Eddie is clearly uncomfortable with them being there and they soon begin the process of trying to frame him for a crime. Despite his protests, they manhandle him, dismissively discussing how they are going to kill him as part of the charade. Jack steps in to save Eddie and shoots one of the cops non-fatally; there is no injury detail but the man does groan in pain. This scene may scare children into feeling unsafe around the police.

One of the men chasing Jack and Eddie tries to grab at them through a door but Jack slams the door on his arm over and over again. The man cries out in pain and takes around 20 seconds to pull his arm back. Jack the shoots this man’s partner in the foot in order to force him away from the door.

A ‘good’ character is shot in the torso and a large amount of blood is seen on their shirt. They become weaker and end up lying down, resigned to their fate.

When speaking of a crime, a character tells another ‘I stuck a gun in some guy’s mouth, he had a heart attack, he died. So what?’

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ’16 BLOCKS’ FOR KIDS?

Jack Mosley may be worn-out but there’s plenty of energy and excitement to be had in ’16 Blocks’. We recommend this movie as being appropriate for kids aged 10 and over.

Violence: 3/5
Emotional Distress: 2/5
Fear Factor: 3/5 (Jack and Eddie’s predicament of being unsure of who to trust and constantly being chased by killers could be quite frightening for kids)
Sexual Content: 0/5
Bad Language: 3/5 (infrequent moderate cursing. A strong word is used twice)
Dialogue: 2/5
Other Notes: Deals with themes of corrupt cops, putting yourself at risk, taking a stand against friends, morality, following a dream, and protecting the vulnerable.

Words by Laura Record

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