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Actors: Bruce Willis, Mos Def, David Morse, Jenna Stern
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about 16 Blocks |
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Burnt out from working all night, jaded New York police detective Jack Mosely (Willis) is assigned to escourt criminal Eddie Bunker (Def) the 16 blocks from his cell to a courthouse to testify to a grand jury. This testimony must be in by 10:00 a.m., and it is now close to 8:00 a.m. Irked by Eddie's back seat jabbering, Jack parks the car and nips into a liquor store. Returning, he sees men trying to get at Eddie. He exchanges gunfire with them, zigzags the car through traffic, secretes Eddie into a friend's bar, evacuates it, and calls for backup. It is his ex-partner of 20 years, Frank Nugent (Morse) who shows up, and, wanting to protect the cops the testimony would indict, concocts an excuse for his cohorts to shoot Eddie. Jack pulls a gun on them and runs with Eddie.
Unsure who to trust, Eddie bolts alone to the subway. He is intent upon getting himself to the courthouse in time to earn his freedom by testifying. But Jack catches up, knowing Eddie won't make it on his own. Frank's men track them through Chinatown, through shops, to a roof where Jack's hand is shot, and into a basement. Frank tries to convince Jack that this criminal isn't worth protecting. Jack replies by escaping with Eddie in an elevator, through a hail of bullets. Eddie's trust in Jack rises. He rambles on and on about the bakery he wants to open when he's free, despite Jack scoffing that he'll always be a criminal because people can't change. In a stairwell, Frank pulls a gun on Jack; but Eddie pulls a gun on Frank. On the street, Jack and Eddie board a bus. With shooters in pursuit, it slams into cars and comes to a standstill in a construction site. Shooters flatten the tires. It is 9:19 a.m.
As Frank portrays Jack as a crazy man, Jack lets all of the passengers leave - secretly including Eddie, disguised in a suit and glasses - and prepares to die. He even dictates his will into a voice recorder left by a passenger. But Eddie returns. They barrel the crippled bus on its rims right through the police barricades and smoke bombs, and into a tight alley, where they escape through a building. Eddie has been shot. Jack calls paramedic friends. His reply to Eddie's praise is that he is not as good a guy as he seems. They part ways, Eddie still insisting he'll show Jack that people really can change for the better.
Jack and Frank meet face-to-face beneath the courthouse. They argue, Jack bitterly denouncing Frank's sordid deeds, Frank callously defending them. Jack gets into the elevator and heads up toward the court to tell the truth, leaving Frank to make a call. From here, the video of this movie offers two endings, both of them surprising.
--vjm, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of 16 Blocks |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie
Actual chase scenes or violence - 60%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 10%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
Time/Era of Movie:
- present (2000-2010)
Crime & Police Story?
Yes
Crime story:
- criminal becomes sensitive
Criminal enemy is...
- law enforcement gone bad
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
Age:
- 40's-50's
Hair color?
- blonde
Hair style
- short/standard straight (man)
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Hair color
- bald
How much in movie?
- 90%-100%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Black
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 90%-100%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
City?
Yes
City:
- New York
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately messy visuals of dead
Movie makes you feel...
- challenged
How many deaths in film?
- 3-4
Kind of violence:
- guns
Any profanity?
- Occasional swearing
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Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 vjm
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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