Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Similar to Die Hard 3, with the action taking place on the claustrophobic streets of Manhattan, but nowhere near as good. Willis yet again plays a burnt out, over-the-hill, alcoholic new York cop (a role he has played far too many times) this time transporting a prisoner to a hearing, a mere sixteen blocks away, with numerous others trying to kill them en route. But here, Willis appears slightly more awake, like he is putting forth a *little* effort, rather than just standing in the background during most scenes (like he has done far too many times). The bus hijacking was good, may be one of the best moments in the film, but from then on, the pacing slows to a crawl, and it never regains momentum.One of the grimiest, ugliest looking films in recent memory. Even the daylight scenes look grey/ black, and grimy, like this was filmed using charcoal and a shovel

"Detective Jack Mosley" (Bruce Willis) is a burnt-out New York City cop who is given the simple assignment of picking up a witness in custody named "Eddie Bunker" (Yasiin Bey) and taking him to the courthouse which is just 16 blocks away. What neither of them realize is that the person Eddie is going to testify against is a high-ranking member within the police force who has no intention of allowing him to appear in court alive. Neither does Eddie realize how many other people might be affected by his testimony. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this scenario has been used several times in the past with varying degrees of success. Unfortunately, although this particular picture certainly had its fair share of action, the overall plot became more unrealistic the further the story developed which greatly affected the film as a whole. To be sure, Bruce Willis turned in a fine performance and some of the action was quite intense, but the movie itself lacked the realism necessary for me to rate it any higher than I have. Slightly below average.

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

The idea for this movie is perfect for Willis: a guy who has all the odds against him rises to save the day. However, here the concept fails as the crew takes itself too seriously and overdoes virtually everything.The first thing that comes to mind is Willis' makeup. He looks like he's still wearing his Death Becomes Her makeup. He's just plain ugly, he looks way too old to still be holding a job and there is no strength hidden behind those features.Mos Def, who is also well cast, has dialogs pushed down his throat that must have made him wince. He can do so much better. Now he's just another whino. Very annoying.Overall, aside the casting and the idea for the movie, there is nothing to tell here. It's run-of-the-mill stuff and you have to squeeze out some enthusiasm to keep focused on the movie. Five minutes into the movie you know how it will end and not much later you know both the plot and the bad guys. With the uninspired execution the movie lands before properly taking off.