16 Blocks Blu-ray offers decent video and audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release
From Lethal Weapon director Richard Donner comes "a hard-to-beat thriller" (Gene Shalit, Today/NBC-TV). Bruce Willis hits the mark as Jack Mosley, a broken-down New York City police detective assigned to escort a petty criminal (Mos Def) from the precinct to the courthouse. The seemingly simple 16-block journey becomes a test of character for them when Jack's ex-partners attempt to stop them.. Its' the gripping story of how two men change each other during a tense 118-minute struggle between life and death.
16 Blocks, a 2006 action/drama film directed by Richard Donner (Lethal
Weapon) and
starring Bruce Willis (Tears of the
Sun)
and
rapper Mos Def (Be Kind
Rewind),
plays
out like a poor man's version of a Die Hard film, most aptly compared to
the third in that
franchise, Die Hard With A
Vengeance. The main connection, obviously, is Willis, once again
portraying a washed
up,
slovenly cop who finds himself traversing New York City with a tagalong who
becomes a powerful
ally by the end. This movie isn't quite as good as any of the Die Hard
films (with the possible exception of Die Harder), but I'll
give
it one thing: it has heart. It manages to get noticeably better and far more
interesting by
the final act with some real character development, interesting plot twists, a fairly
high level of
palpable tension.
I knew I should have gone with the USP I am holding on the box over this
Glock...stupid jams!
Detective Jack Mosley (Willis) is a has-been cop who appears as if he hasn't slept
in three days or
drank anything less than 80 proof alcohol in a week. Hindered by a limp
and a shot-up hand, he's the odd-man out on the
force, at one point chosen for a job babysitting a crime scene because he "isn't
needed." About to clock out one morning and return home to
further wallow in his misery, Mosley is stopped and ordered to transport a two-bit
criminal named
Eddie Bunker (Mos Def) 16 blocks to his court appearance in 118 minutes, which puts the time
schedule slightly askew in a 102 minute film. When
Mosley stops at
a liquor store for a drink and a packet of Advil, he foils an attempt on Bunker's
life, killing one
suspect and chasing off another. He takes Bunker to a local bar and calls for
assistance. His
friend and former partner, Det. Frank Nugent (David Morse, Disturbia), arrives
with several other officers and plainly informs Mosley that the criminal he is
transporting is much
more than he seems. He's a witness set to testify against several corrupt officers,
including
Nugent, and Mosley is asked to cooperate in a staged shootout and the death of
Bunker. Forced
to either conspire with his friend or save an innocent life, Mosley chooses the latter
and escapes
with Bunker, beginning a real-time chase to safely traverse 16 blocks to get Bunker to the
courthouse on time with much of the NYPD in pursuit.
16 Blocks is a movie that had to work very hard to earn my respect. Not only am I an
established Bruce Willis fan, but I also like David Morse, and by the end of the movie, came to
admire Mos Def's acting ability as well as the character he portrays in this film (more on him in a
moment). 16 Blocks began with a most gloomy atmosphere. The character is a slovenly
drunk with a screen presence about as engaging as an unsharpened #2 pencil lying in a darkened
desk drawer. The look of the movie itself reflects that feel; it's a wholly drab, uninteresting,
depressing, and unsettling look. To top it all off, the first half of the movie moves by incredibly
slowly, so much so that I
struggled to resist the temptation to put my computer aside, lie down on my
couch, and fall
asleep. Somehow, someway, 16 Blocks manages to become a pretty darn
good movie by
the time all is said and done. It gains steam, intrigue, and perhaps
most importantly,
heart, as it moves along, a phenomenon not often seen anymore when so many
movies seem to
start off well enough and fade near the end.
Much to my surprise, Mos Def proves to be the shining light in this film, turning in
a surprisingly
solid performance. He doesn't best the legendary Willis in pure acting ability, but
he's definitely on the
same playing field.
A scene where he briefly turns the tables on Detective Nugent in chapter 14 is one
of the best
scenes
in the movie. Mos Def's wisecracking, somewhat annoying persona changes on a
dime as he
delivers a heartfelt, real-feeling, and decidedly tense scene that I believe to be the
turning point in
the film, not only thematically, but in feel as well. From there on out, 16
Blocks
becomes a good movie, almost making the drag that is the first half of the film
worth the effort.
Mos Def's next major scene, where he discusses birthdays and cakes, is equally
magnificent. Willis and Morse are both solid as well. It may seem like a small
detail, but the decision to
show the Willis character with a mustache sets him apart from his other roles,
notably that of
John McClane, so that 16 Blocks doesn't wholly feel like the
aforementioned "poor man's
Die Hard." His character is not a unique one in cinema, the drunken and depressed man
facing adversity and overcoming the odds, but because of the similarities to the pace of the film
and the character of John McClane in Vengeance, the filmmakers smartly altered Willis'
look, and for the purpose of this film, they nailed it.
16 Blocks traverses onto Blu-ray in a remarkably average 2.40:1, 1080p
high definition
transfer from Warner Brothers. Fortunately, "average" is still fairly good, and
16 Blocks,
amidst its decidedly bland appearance and uninteresting visual style, does make
for a decent
viewing experience for fans of this movie. The image has a soft look to it with
dull, lifeless colors,
but this seems to be the director-intended look for the film. Tan and gray hues
permeate
many scenes in the film. Colors are anything but eye-popping, certainly
duller
than those in
another film I recently screened and reviewed, The Pursuit of
Happyness. Even brighter outdoor scenes, of which there are several
near the end
of the movie, don't offer colors that jump off the screen. Detail remains
moderately high, but
there is a flatness to the image that adds to the dull nature of the film. Look at
the old yellow
phone Mosley uses in chapter 13. We can see every bit of grime and dirt on it,
and it is certainly
a phone I'd rather not put to my ear unless the circumstances were life and death,
as they were
in this film. As the hot, long, arduous, and deadly trip across 16 city blocks
progresses, we
become privy to the accumulated beads of sweat, dirt, and other tell-tale signs of
despair and
exhaustion on actor's faces, clothing, and the like. Flesh tones appear a bit
darker than
expected, but this is likely, once again, due to the stylized and obscure look to the
film. I noted a
random white speckle here and there on the print but no other discernible flaws of
that nature.
Film grain is not visible over every frame, but it's there, mostly visible in the
film's darkest of
scenes. Speaking of dark scenes, black levels fare well here, too. 16
Blocks is certainly
no reference-grade disc, but it does make the grade as a decent, but definitely
underwhelming,
high definition experience, especially compared to the best of the best visual Blu-ray discs
available
today, like Saawariya and The Chronicles of
Narnia: The
Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Just as understated and dull as the picture is the film's soundtrack, presented
here with no
lossless or uncompressed audio option, offering listeners only a Dolby Digital 5.1
soundtrack. Not
much of a rear channel presence is to be heard during the more mundane scenes
where just
a hint of atmospherics are only occasionally heard. The action sequences,
obviously, pick up in intensity and
offer some
discrete sound effects scattered here and there in the back left and right channels
and across the
front soundstage. Gun shots ring out surprisingly true with an excellent presence
that is neither
too loud nor unrealistic nor phony nor trumped up for some slick movie sound
effects. Shots in tight, close-quarters fare especially well with ricochets, impacts,
bangs, and the thuds of 9mm rounds, as well as the sound of brass dropping to
the ground, sounding absolutely first-rate on this mix.
Unfortunately, other than the movie's few shootout scenes, there is very little
going on in this
track that involves much more than the center channel speaker. Music
bleeds through to
the back on occasion, but it's a strain to hear it. Sometimes I felt like I had to get
my ear to
within inches of one of the back speakers to even realize it was there. Dialogue
sounded a bit
harsh in a few spots as well. This lossy mix is certainly not going to convert
anyone to Blu-ray,
but fans of the movie and established format adopters and supporters probably
won't find too
much to complain about when it comes to this track in the grand scheme of
things.
16 Blocks makes the rounds on Blu-ray with a disappointing selection of
extra features.
First up are several deleted scenes (480p, 19:51) with an introduction and
commentary by director
Richard Donner and writer Richard Wenk. We see Donner and Wenk appear every
now and then in
a small picture-in-picture window over the bottom right hand side of the screen.
Next is an
alternate ending to the film (480p, 6:39) that again features an introduction by
Donner and Wenk
discussing the differences and the reasons why the change was made. Finally, the
film's theatrical
trailer (480p, 2:19) concludes this all-too-short set of extras.
16 Blocks seems like the little movie that could. At the end of the day,
it's not much more
than a standard-fare action/drama flick with a few nice performances, and it's
hardly a memorable
picture. Nevertheless, every time I watch it, I cannot help but to be drawn in by
the end of the
movie, despite a rather tedious first half that screams for the disc to be ejected or
the channel
changed in favor of something else. What starts as a meandering, lifeless cop
drama becomes a
tense, well-played, and well-directed film that almost has the audience forgetting
the mediocrity of
the first half of the movie. Unfortunately, this Blu-ray edition of 16 Blocks
is as forgettable
as the first half of the movie contained on it. Sporting an average video
presentation, no lossless
soundtrack, and only a handful of extras, this is a disc for only the most ardent of
fans or Blu-ray
collectors/completists who want to pick this one up during a sale.
