How can you go wrong with a team-up like Bruce Willis and director Richard Donner? The answer is… you can't. The two got together earlier this year to give audiences one of the better police-action films of the last several years. In "16 Blocks", Willis stars as Jack Mosely, a past-his-prime New York cop who is given the easy task of escorting a witness in a police corruption investigation to court. Well, this would normally be a easy task, but unfortunately some of those corrupt cops don’t want to see either of them make it. What I thought was going to be a run-of-the-mill action movie, was in reality a very creative thriller. The premise was as straightforward as they come, with little in the way to complicate things.

You knew that Mosely had to find a way to get the witness (Mos Def) to the court, 16 blocks away. You also knew that there were those out to stop them. But director Donner (who has in the past given us the great "Lethal Death" series, "The Omen" and even the first "Superman" movie) takes this simple plot and makes those 16 short blocks some of the most harrowing possible.

Making the film even better was the casting of Willis, who still gets the shaft from critics even after his Oscar worthy turn in "The Sixth Sense." He is still known as he guy who plays cops, but to be honest he plays them better than most. As he gets older, his characterizations become deeper and more well-defined. He doesn’t just play the cocky John McClain of the "Die Hard" series, he now develops multi-layered, and often flawed, characters. His performance here offers no less than anything else he has done recently.

Stepping into the part of the witness is Mos Def. As an actor, Def still has a way to go is he is ever going to stretch his muscles. Recently he took on the role of Ford Prefect in "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and he was just awful. But as a petty criminal type, as he is here, he does just fine. Another fine addition to the cast is David Morse as one of the cops whose livelihood will be affected by the outcome of the trial (ie; he's corrupt…), and he is terrific here. Morse is one of the underrated actors who gets prime roles, delivers outstanding performances, yet his name still goes largely unrecognized even if you know the face.

Unfortunately, seemed to go largely unnoticed in theatres and I had to wait until the Warner Brothers DVD release (due this month) to watch it. The transfer in terms of audio and video are very nicely done, though not perfect. The sound in particular was well set up, with no loss of any of the dialogue, which is usually one of the first things I look for.

As for extra features, it is fairly bare bones. Mainly you have several deleted scenes, which are introduced one by one, by Donner and screenwriter Richard Wenk. They also include some commentary, though oddly enough, the film itself does not. There is also an alternate ending which you can either watch as a standalone scene, or have it cut into the feature. I prefer the theatrical ending myself.

"16 Blocks" is not the greatest action movie ever made, nor does it offer Willis' best performance, but it is a really good movie and one I still have to recommend.

Directed by: Richard Donner
Starring: Bruce Willis, Mos Def, David Morse
Extras: Alternate ending not seen in theaters (viewable separately or incorporated into the film)
Deleted scenes with director/screenwriter commentary
Theatrical trailer
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 6/13/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Violence, Intense Sequences of Action and Some Strong Language)
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We'll give 16 Blocks a B-.