Jump to content

16 Blocks: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Zja2 (talk | contribs)
43 edits
SporkBot (talk | contribs)
Bots
1,244,869 edits
m Remove template per TFD outcome
 
(388 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|2006 film by Richard Donner}}
{{Infobox Film
{{Infobox film
| name = 16 Blocks
| name = 16 Blocks
| image = 16blocks.jpg
| image = 16 Blocks (movie poster).jpg
| caption =
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = [[Richard Donner]]
| director = [[Richard Donner]]
| producer =
| producer = {{Plainlist|
| writer = [[Richard Wenk]]
* [[Avi Lerner]]
| starring = [[Bruce Willis]]<br>[[Mos Def]]<br>[[David Morse (actor)|David Morse]]<br>[[Cylk Cozart]]
| music = [[Klaus Badelt]]
* [[Randall Emmett]]
* John Thompson
* [[Arnold Rifkin]]
* Jim Van Wyck
}}
| writer = [[Richard Wenk]]
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* [[Bruce Willis]]
* [[Mos Def]]
* [[David Morse (actor)|David Morse]]
* [[Cylk Cozart]]
}}
| music = [[Klaus Badelt]]
| cinematography = [[Glen MacPherson]]
| cinematography = [[Glen MacPherson]]
| editing = [[Steven Mirkovich]]
| editing = Steven Mirkovich
| studio = {{Plainlist|
| distributor = [[Warner Bros.]]
* [[Alcon Entertainment]]
| released = [[March 3]], [[2006]]
* [[Millennium Media|Millennium Films]]
| runtime = 105 min.
* [[Cheyenne Enterprises]]
| language = [[English language|English]]
* [[Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films|Emmett/Furla Films]]
| budget =
* [[The Donners' Company]]
| preceded_by =
* [[Avi Lerner|Equity Pictures]]
| followed_by =
* [[Millennium Media|Nu Image Films]]
| imdb_id = 0450232
}}
| amg_id = 1:326283
| distributor = [[Warner Bros. Pictures]]
| released = {{Film date|2006|03|03}}
| runtime = 102 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget = $52 million<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bombreport.com/yearly-breakdowns/2006-3/16-blocks/|title=16 Blocks (2006): Director Richard Donner Slams Alcon|access-date=2021-08-17|archive-date=2021-08-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817155343/https://bombreport.com/yearly-breakdowns/2006-3/16-blocks/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| gross = $65.7 million<ref name="mojo">{{cite web|title=16 Blocks (2006) |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=16blocks.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090514012856/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=16blocks.htm |archive-date=2009-05-14 |url-status=live |access-date=2009-06-07 }}</ref>
}}
}}


'''''16 Blocks''''' is a 2006 American [[crime thriller film]] directed by [[Richard Donner]] and starring [[Bruce Willis]], [[Mos Def]], and [[David Morse (actor)|David Morse]]. The film unfolds in the [[real time (media)|real time]] narration method. It marked the final directed film for Donner during his lifetime<ref name="Deadline">{{Cite news|last=Hipes|first=Patrick|date=2021-07-05|title=Richard Donner Dies: 'Superman', 'Lethal Weapon' And 'The Goonies' Director Was 91|url=https://deadline.com/2021/07/richard-donner-dead-superman-lethal-weapon-director-1234786372/|access-date=2021-07-13|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Gates |first=Anita |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/05/movies/richard-donner-dead.html |title=Richard Donner, Director of 'Superman' and 'Lethal Weapon' Films, Dead at 91 |work=The New York Times |date=July 5, 2021}}</ref> in addition to the last acting role for his cousin and frequent collaborator [[Steve Kahan]].
'''''16 Blocks''''' is a [[2006 in film|2006]] film directed by [[Richard Donner]] and released by [[Warner Bros.]] which opened March 3 in the [[United States]]. The film stars [[Bruce Willis]], [[Mos Def]], and [[David Morse (actor)|David Morse]] and is very reminiscent of [[Clint Eastwood]]'s ''[[The Gauntlet]]''; both films feature a hard-drinking police protagonist who is viewed as being a pushover but perseveres to present a witness against other police officials. Included in the [[DVD]] release is an alternate ending that was originally intended to be included in the theatrical version.


== Plot ==
==Plot==
Jack Mosley is an alcoholic, burned-out [[New York City Police Department|NYPD]] detective. Despite a grueling late shift the night before, his lieutenant orders him to escort a witness, Eddie Bunker, from local custody to the courthouse sixteen blocks away to testify on a [[police corruption]] case before a grand jury at 10 a.m. Bunker tries to be friendly with Mosley, telling him of his aspirations to move to [[Seattle]] and open a bakery with his sister who he has never met, but Mosley is uninterested and insists on stopping at a liquor store.
{{Plot|date=September 2007}}


Hired assassins shoot up the escort car, and Mosley drags Bunker to his favorite bar to take shelter and call for backup. Mosley's former partner, Frank Nugent, and several other officers arrive. Nugent admits that he is one of the officers named in the corruption case, and that out of loyalty, Mosley should let him kill him. The corrupt cops try to frame Bunker for firing at an officer, but Mosley intervenes, rescuing Bunker and fleeing.
The movie begins with Jack Mosley ([[Bruce Willis]]) sitting in a bus, where he is recording a message to "Diane", and he says he wants her to know what really happened here, despite what the police might claim happened.


Mosley briefly stops at his sister Diane's apartment and learns that the police have already approached her about his activities earlier that day. He and Bunker take steps to further elude their pursuers, and Mosley is wounded in the process. They become cornered in a run-down apartment building as Nugent and his men search floor by floor. Mosley calls the district attorney's office, but purposely gives the wrong apartment number, suspecting there is a [[Mole (espionage)|mole]] involved.
In a new scene, police break into an apartment building in New York City, where they find two Latino gang bangers shot and killed. They have to clear the scene and wait for the coroner to arrive. The Sergeant orders his men to call in someone they "don't need" to keep an eye on the scene. They bring up Jack who appears to be a cop that seemed at the end of his career. He goes into the apartment and against protocol, he touches everything in the room and searches for alcohol. He seems depressed and out of it and drinking on the job is definitely not helping.


Mosley and Bunker use the distraction to escape onto a passenger bus and as the police follow them, Mosley is forced to treat the passengers as hostages. The bus crashes into a construction site and is soon surrounded by the [[New York City Police Department Emergency Service Unit|ESU]]. Not wanting the passengers to get caught up in crossfire, Mosley allows them to go free while enabling Bunker to escape in the chaos. Mosley finds a tape recorder while going through the passenger's luggage and prepares a farewell message to Diane.
Jack arrives at his office, and it seems that he has worked overtime and hasn't gotten any sleep yet. He limps a little, showing how his career as a top detective ended the day he could no longer walk right. As he heads out of the office, his Lieutenant comes in and hands him a very simple case file that was usually done by small cops. He asks Mosley to escort a witness to the courthouse that is 16 blocks away from the station to testify in front of a grand jury. (He has 118 minutes to do so). Jack refuses, but is forced to take it, so he complies.


To his surprise, Bunker returns to the bus; Nugent lines up a shot but is ordered to stand down. Bunker has come to see Mosley as an ally and wants to be there for him to see this through. Bunker's tenacity convinces Mosley to keep fighting, and he manages to drive the bus into an alley, temporarily blocking the police from following them. He finds that Bunker has been wounded, and calls Diane, a [[paramedic]], for help. Diane treats Bunker and arranges for a second ambulance to take them to the hospital. Bunker learns that Mosley is also due to be named in the investigation but is willing to testify in his place. Mosley gets off a block from the courthouse and wishes Bunker luck with his bakery, instructing the paramedic to take Bunker to the Port Authority and put him on a bus for Seattle. Bunker promises to send him a cake on his birthday.
The witness is Eddie Bunker ([[Mos Def]]), skinny-talk-all-day American that is chatting away when Jack comes in to escort him out. In the car, while handcuffed, Eddie keeps on talking; and it's getting on Jack's nerves. There is a lot of traffic, so Jack figures he has time, and he stops to get a drink at a liquor store, ignoring Eddie's request to keep going. As Jack is buying alcohol, a man dressed in a cleaning service uniform approaches the car and takes out his gun to aim at Eddie, but he is shot dead as Jack came out of the store. Chaos follows after the gunshot, and it seems Jack was frozen by it, so frozen that he doesn't even realize he was getting shot at by a second gunman. More gunshots are exchanged, and Jack jumps into the car and reverses it into the gunman and manages to escape.


Mosley continues to the courthouse, where the police and ESU are waiting for him as well as the district attorney. Entering through the underground garage, he again refuses Nugent's pleas not to testify. Nugent then orders one of his men to gun down Mosley as he enters, but an ESU sniper intercepts and kills the shooter. Mosley informs the district attorney that he will testify in exchange for Bunker having his record expunged, also revealing that he had recorded the conversation with Nugent in the garage on the tape recorder, which he submits as evidence.
Jack takes Eddie into a bar that he seems really familiar with and asks the owner to kick everybody out of the bar including the owner. Jack calls the station for some backups to aid him, but instead, his ex-partner, homicide detective Frank Nugent ([[David Morse (actor)|David Morse]]) and his crew come into the bar. He says he heard the phone call and he was around the corner, so he stopped by to help. Frank says he will take it from here. Jack is about to comply; but this time, Eddie is still talking, he hasn't stopped talking ever since they got shot at. He keeps whining about why would Jack risk his life and stop for a drink and all that. Anyway, he keeps talking, until another detective comes into the bar, and Eddie shuts up immediately as if he recognizes the guy. And Jack realizes that something is fishy.


Two years later, Mosley is freed from prison. He celebrates his birthday with Diane and other friends and is surprised to find that the cake had indeed come from Bunker, who has been successful in starting "Eddie & Jack's Good Sign Bakery" in Seattle.
Frank goes on and explains to Jack that Eddie is about to testify against a lot of (dirty) cops including a chief in the courtroom. He is going to ruin a lot of good cops' lives by telling what he saw. Frank takes Jack's gun away, and hands it to his guys. The guys wiped the gun clean, and place it on Eddie's hand. Then they fire a shot with Eddie holding the gun, making it seems like he snatched the gun and tried to kill the cops. Eddie is held up and is about to get executed right there in the bar. Jack takes the bar owner's double-barrel shotgun and shoots the cops in the legs. He takes Eddie and goes out the back door. Frank now is really angry, still maintaining his poise, and calls in more backups to find both Jack and Eddie, now claiming that Jack snapped and has started shooting at cops.


==Cast==
Jack enters an apartment that he probably once lived in because he knew where the spare key is hidden. The apartment is actually his sister Diane's. He goes in and searches through the closet to get his gun. Frank knows that Jack's sister lives around the area, so he tells one of his men to check out the apartment, only to be tied up by Jack and have his cell phone taken away. The cell phone pick-up is actually a bad idea as Frank is able to get their exact location through GPS. This is until Eddie tries to escape, taking the subway on his own and refuses help from a drunken, handicapped cop like Jack. He immediately changes his mind when some cops on the subway are there, coming to kill him.
{{castlist|
* [[Bruce Willis]] as Detective Jack Mosley
* [[Mos Def]] as Edward "Eddie" Bunker
* [[David Morse (actor)|David Morse]] as Detective Frank Nugent
* [[Jenna Stern]] as Diane Mosley
* [[Casey Sander]] as Captain Dan Gruber
* [[Cylk Cozart]] as Detective Jimmy Mulvey
* [[David Zayas]] as Detective Bobby Torres
* Robert Racki as Detective Jerry Shue
* Patrick Garrow as Detective Touhey
* [[Sasha Roiz]] as Detective Kaller
* [[Conrad Pla]] as Detective Ortiz
* Hechter Ubarry as Detective Edward Maldonado
* Richard Fitzpatrick as Deputy Commissioner Wagner
* [[Peter McRobbie]] as Mike Sheehan
* Mike Keenan as Ray Fitzpatrick
* [[Robert Clohessy]] as Sergeant Cannova
* Jess Mal Gibbons as Pederson
* Tig Fong as Briggs
* Brenda Pressley as Assistant District Attorney MacDonald
* [[Kim Chan]] as Sam
* Carmen Lopez as Gracie
* [[Scott McCord]] as Lieutenant Kincaid
* [[Steve Kahan]] as Restaurant Owner
* [[Tom Wlaschiha]] as Bus Passenger
* Toni Ellwand as Subway Commuter
* [[Rob Wiethoff]] as Court Officer
}}
Willis originally wanted rapper [[Ludacris]] to play the part of Eddie Bunker.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} ''16 Blocks'' is the second film in which [[David Morse (actor)|David Morse]] plays the villain to [[Bruce Willis]] as the protagonist; the first was ''[[12 Monkeys]]''.


==Release==
Jack and Eddie make it to New York's Chinatown, where a festival is happening. Knowing that they have nowhere to run, Jack throws the phone away and enters an old apartment building. Eddie keeps knocking on doors and an old Asian guy actually opens it and lets Jack and Eddie in. The team searches for Jack and Eddie from floor to floor, and have no idea where they went.
===Theatrical===
The film, released by [[Warner Bros.]], opened in the [[United States]] on March 3, 2006.


====Alternate ending====
In the apartment, Eddie changes clothes and tells Jack of his dream of becoming a birthday cake-baker. He carries a notebook everywhere with him consisting of all the recipes in the world for cakes, and he marks down everyone's birthdays too. Here, Jack sees how innocent Eddie is in this whole mess, and is convinced that he would protect him all the way to the courthouse. In the apartment, Jack calls the prosecuting attorney and explains the entire situation. She immediately sends escorts - more cops - to get them out safely, as Jack tells her the exact building and room number. Only this time, Frank's crew get the info from the [[mole]] and busts into the wrong apartment and realizes they've been conned by Jack. Jack walks down the stairs without obstacles now, only to be stopped by Frank himself, waiting at the bottom level. But Jack is not stupid, because he had Eddie go around the back and has the gun aimed at Frank from behind. Eddie and Jack escape another close one, and go out the door. This time, Jack takes Eddie underground to a sweatshop/kitchen/laundry room with Chinese immigrants running around.
The film was shot with the ending written for the screenplay (as described by Donner and writer [[Richard Wenk]]), but they realized during filming that there was "a better opportunity to have a little more empathy and wrap the picture up in a different way." The ending written for the film changed the scenario in which Frank after watching Jack get in the elevator, instructs Bobby to stand down, saying it's over. But Bobby's radio is off and he is still planning on ambushing Jack. In the lobby, Jack is approached by District Attorney McDonald who says he will testify in Eddie's place in return for Eddie's record being expunged. As Jack reaches into his pocket, Bobby appears and Frank, having run upstairs to stop Bobby, leaps in front of Jack to protect him and gets shot, causing them both to fall down the stairs. When they land at the bottom it's discovered the bullet went through Frank and fatally hit Jack. The tape recorder with Jack and Frank's conversation on it is heard playing in Jack's pocket. Frank tearfully listens and looks at Jack with sorrow. The tape is taken to the jury, Frank and Bobby are led away and a blanket is placed over Jack's body. Sometime later Diane receives a cake from Eddie, supposed to be for Jack's birthday along with a letter saying he sent the cake, hoping to hear from Jack but never did. He was then informed of what happened, he acknowledges Jack and wishes him a happy birthday.


==Reception==
Jack seems to know his way around NYC, but so does Frank, whom Jack worked with for 20 years. Frank cuts them off and starts another shoot out, while Frank's men are behind a steel door. Eddie and Jack are trapped between the door and Frank. The only escape is an elevator that doesn't work. Jack and Frank catch up on all the old memories they had and what not. Frank tries to convince Jack that Eddie is a thief while listing all Eddies prior convictions, which Eddie either denies or says he has changed, only to hear Jack tell him that people do not change. Just when they decide to open the steel door instead and shoot their way out, the elevator starts to work, and Jack and Eddie hop in and go up and out the front door.
===Box office===
In its opening weekend, the film grossed [[United States dollar|$]]12.7 million, which was the second-highest-grossing film of the weekend. As of its May 15, 2006 closing date, the film grossed a total of $36.895 million in the [[United States|U.S.]] box office. It made $65.7 million worldwide.<ref name=mojo /> According to Box Office Mojo, production costs were around $55 million.<ref>{{Cite web |date= March 6, 2006 |author= Brandon Gray |title= '16 Blocks' Gets Clocked by 'Madea' |url= http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2020 |work= [[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date= February 13, 2007 |archive-date= April 18, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180418032627/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2020 |url-status= live }}</ref> The film made $51.53 million on rentals and remained on the DVD top 50 charts for 17 consecutive weeks.


===Critical response===
Once they get out to the streets, they immediately hop onto a bus and are chased after by two of Frank's men. They shoot the tires and the bus loses control and spins out into a dead end. There are 31 passengers on the bus, and it becomes a hostage situation. Now the entire swat team is here, including the Commissioner and the news crew. Frank must be careful of his actions.
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film received an approval rating of 56% approval rating from 162 critics, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The site's consensus reads: "Despite strong performances from Bruce Willis and Mos Def, ''16 Blocks'' barely rises above being a shopworn entry in the buddy-action genre."<ref name="rt">{{cite web |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/16_blocks/ |title=16 Blocks |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=July 31, 2020 |archive-date=September 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925151037/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/16_blocks/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], it has a weighted average score of 63 out of 100, based on 34 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/16-blocks|title=16 Blocks Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More|work=[[Metacritic]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|access-date=July 31, 2011|archive-date=April 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180410083333/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/16-blocks|url-status=live}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |title=CinemaScore |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180206073531/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-date= February 6, 2018 }}</ref>


[[Michael Atkinson (writer)|Michael Atkinson]] of ''[[The Village Voice]]'' commented that "the clichés come thick on the ground" and called it "a small movie trying to seem epic, or a bloated monster trying to seem lean."<ref>{{cite web|last=Atkinson|first=Michael|author-link=Michael Atkinson (writer)|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2006-02-21/film/aging-hollywood-hack-attempts-clumsy-b-movie/|title=Aging Hollywood Hack Attempts Clumsy B Movie|work=[[The Village Voice]]|publisher=[[Village Voice Media]]|date=February 21, 2006|access-date=July 31, 2011|archive-date=October 22, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022213345/http://www.villagevoice.com/2006-02-21/film/aging-hollywood-hack-attempts-clumsy-b-movie/|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Peter Travers]] of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' gave the film two-and-a-half out of four stars and called Willis and Mos Def "a terrific team," concluding that "Until Richard Wenk's script drives the characters into a brick wall of pukey sentiment, it's a wild ride."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Travers |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Travers |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/16-blocks-20060307 |title=16 Blocks |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |publisher=[[Jann Wenner|Wenner Media]] |date=March 7, 2006 |access-date=July 31, 2020 }}</ref> ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' critic [[Roger Ebert]] gave it three out of four stars and commended Mos Def for his "character performance that's completely unexpected in an action movie," while calling the film "a chase picture conducted at a velocity that is just about right for a middle-age alcoholic."<ref>{{cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/16-blocks-2006 |title=16 Blocks |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |publisher=[[Sun-Times Media Group|Sun-Times Media]] |date=March 3, 2006 |access-date=July 31, 2020 |archive-date=June 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609211615/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/16-blocks-2006 |url-status=live }}</ref> Wesley Morris of ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' described the film as admirably old fashioned, praising Donner for his direction, but criticized the film for lacking originality, saying it feels like a remake of ''[[The Gauntlet (film)|The Gauntlet]]'' directed by Clint Eastwood.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://archive.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2006/03/03/16_blandly_goes_where_films_have_gone_before/ | title = 16' blandly goes where films have gone before | author = Wesley Morris | work = [[The Boston Globe]] | date = March 3, 2006 | access-date = 2018-05-17 | archive-date = 2017-12-13 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171213172356/http://archive.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2006/03/03/16_blandly_goes_where_films_have_gone_before/ | url-status = live }}</ref>
Jack asks the passengers to seal the bus windows up with newspapers, and tells the police that there are about 40 hostages, where there are actually only 31 of them. As they wait, Jack buys more time by demanding the prosecutor and the news crew and a stenographer to be present for him to release all the hostages. Eddie is actually talking to a cute little girl, telling her not to be afraid, and that he will send her a beautiful birthday cake when that day comes. Here again, Jack is more convinced that Eddie is a changed man and is actually good at heart.


==Remake==
Just when the swat team is about to break in, Jack releases all the passengers on the bus, and he even switched Eddie's outfit with another passenger. The cops are all confused by Jack's action. It is chaotic as the passengers come out and run for their lives, along with Eddie. Jack remains in there, and believes that he has gotten his job done by getting Eddie out of it. But then, while the cops are still believing that there are nine more hostages, the bus driver tells them that he was the last passenger and Jack is alone; that is when the swat team is ready to take Jack out, since they are told that he shot a few cops earlier.
In May 2013, Original Entertainment confirmed to have sealed a five-picture deal with [[Millennium Films]] to produce [[Bollywood]] remakes of ''[[First Blood|Rambo]]'', ''[[The Expendables (2010 film)|The Expendables]]'', ''16 Blocks'', ''[[88 Minutes]]'', and ''[[Brooklyn's Finest]]'', with the productions for ''Rambo'' and ''The Expendables'' expected to start at the end of that year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2013/biz/global/hollywood-for-bollywood-remakes-of-rambo-expendables-more-planned-1200481601/|title=Original Ent. Plans Bollywood Remakes of 'Rambo,' 'Expendables' (EXCLUSIVE)|last=McNary|first=Dave|work=Variety|date=May 15, 2013|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-date=July 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725111948/https://variety.com/2013/biz/global/hollywood-for-bollywood-remakes-of-rambo-expendables-more-planned-1200481601/|url-status=live}}</ref>


==References==
But then, Eddie comes out of nowhere and asks everyone to not shoot, and he gets himself back on the bus again. Bringing up references to guys like [[Barry White]], Eddie confronts Jack about him saying people don't change, and he wants Jack to believe that people do change. So even with all the flat tires, Jack and Eddie still manage to pull out of the dead end after taking out a few cops' cars. But they are chased by the entire swat team, who keep breaking glasses and firing shots and throwing flash and smoke grenades into the bus. The bus stops right as it is stuck in an alley. When the swat team enters the bus, Jack and Eddie have snuck out of the bus and into an adjacent building.
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
This time, Eddie was shot in the stomach, and Jack calls in help from his sister, Diane ([[Jenna Stern]]), who drives an ambulance and is a paramedic. She comes and aids Eddie and manages to fix him up. As they drive towards the courthouse, Jack asks the sister for another favor. Frank pulls over the ambulance and demands Diane to open the doors, only to find nothing in there. Jack's favor was actually calling in another ambulance to take them somewhere close to the courthouse instead.

In the ambulance, Jack tells Eddie that he is a bad person, that Jack is one of the cops that Eddie was going to testify against. He is going to take full responsibility now. Jack asks Eddie to leave, and leave the trial to himself. Jack is about to turn himself in and give his testimonies. Jack limps into the underground entrance of the courthouse and runs into Frank, who is always one step ahead of Jack.

Jack confronts Frank about their entire crimes, including getting some people killed to get what they needed to break some cases. Frank finally loses his cool, and yells at Jack and spills all the beans. He just can't kill his long-term partner with his own hands so he lets Jack get into the elevator. However, he tells one of his men awaiting Jack upstairs to kill him.

Inside the building, Jack is spotted by security of the buildings, and is surrounded by many cops. Jack explains that he only wants to speak with the prosecuting attorney and that he has evidence against many cops, including a chief, and himself. Frank's man still comes out to kill him, only to be shot by a SWAT member, who seems to finally realize what is going on. Jack pulls out a tape recorder that recorded the entire conversation that Frank and Jack just had downstairs, and hands it to the prosecuting attorney. Frank stares miserably and gets taken away.

Two years later, we see Jack in a restaurant celebrating his birthday with his sister and a couple friends. (Jack only got two years because he came forward about the case and got a bargain). The birthday cake was sent in by Eddie, who wrote "people do change" on it. Along with the cake, he wrote a letter to Jack and attached some photos of him and his new bakery.

==Cast==
*[[Bruce Willis]] - Detective Jack Mosley
*[[Mos Def]] - Eddie Bunker
*[[David Morse]] - Detective Frank Nugent
*[[Jenna Stern]] - Diane Mosley
*[[Casey Sander]] - Captain Dan Gruber

===Casting notes===
*Willis originally wanted rapper [[Ludacris]] to play the part of Eddie Bunker.<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0450232/trivia</ref>

*This is actually the second movie where [[David Morse]] plays the villain to [[Bruce Willis]] as the protagonist. The first such movie was ''[[Twelve Monkeys]]'' where Morse plays [[Dr. Peters]].

== Box office ==
In its opening weekend, the film grossed 12.7 million dollars, which was the second-highest earning film of the weekend. As of its [[May 15]], [[2006]] closing date, the film grossed a total of $36.895 million dollars in the [[United States]] Box Office. It made $65.6 million dollars worldwide.<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0450232/business</ref> According to Box Office Mojo, production costs were around US$55 million. <ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2020</ref>

16 Blocks did become a hit on DVD though, as it made $51.53 million dollars on rentals alone. It remained on the DVD top 50 charts for 17 consecutive weeks.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www2.warnerbros.com/16blocks/index.html 16 Blocks Official Site]
* [http://www2.warnerbros.com/16blocks/index.html 16 Blocks Official Site]
* {{imdb title|id=0450232|title=16 Blocks}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0450232}}
* {{mojo title|id=16blocks}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|id=16_blocks|title=16 Blocks}}
* {{ymovies title|1808762747}}
* [http://www.moviescriptplace.com/main/movie/742 Film screenplay at MovieScriptPlace.com]


{{Richard Donner films}}
{{Richard Donner}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:2006 films]]
[[Category:2006 films]]
[[Category:Crime thriller films]]
[[Category:2006 crime thriller films]]
[[Category:2000s buddy cop films]]
[[Category:2000s police procedural films]]
[[Category:Alcon Entertainment films]]
[[Category:American buddy cop films]]
[[Category:American crime thriller films]]
[[Category:American police detective films]]
[[Category:2000s English-language films]]
[[Category:Films about corruption in the United States]]
[[Category:Films about the New York City Police Department]]
[[Category:Films about police misconduct]]
[[Category:Films about witness protection]]
[[Category:Films directed by Richard Donner]]
[[Category:Films directed by Richard Donner]]
[[Category:Films scored by Klaus Badelt]]
[[Category:Films set in New York City]]
[[Category:Films set in New York City]]
[[Category:Films shot in Super 35]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Richard Wenk]]
[[Category:MoviePass Films films]]
[[Category:Nu Image films]]
[[Category:Nu Image films]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. films]]

[[Category:2000s American films]]
[[de:16 Blocks]]
[[Category:English-language crime thriller films]]
[[es:16 Blocks]]
[[Category:English-language buddy comedy films]]
[[fr:16 blocs]]
[[ko:식스틴 블럭]]
[[it:Solo due ore]]
[[hu:16 utca]]
[[nl:16 Blocks]]
[[ja:16ブロック]]
[[pl:16 przecznic]]
[[pt:16 Blocks]]
[[ru:16 кварталов (фильм)]]
[[fi:16 Blocks]]

Latest revision as of 15:18, 21 December 2024

16 Blocks
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRichard Donner
Written byRichard Wenk
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyGlen MacPherson
Edited bySteven Mirkovich
Music byKlaus Badelt
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • March 3, 2006 (2006-03-03)
Running time
102 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$52 million[1]
Box office$65.7 million[2]

16 Blocks is a 2006 American crime thriller film directed by Richard Donner and starring Bruce Willis, Mos Def, and David Morse. The film unfolds in the real time narration method. It marked the final directed film for Donner during his lifetime[3][4] in addition to the last acting role for his cousin and frequent collaborator Steve Kahan.

Plot

[edit]

Jack Mosley is an alcoholic, burned-out NYPD detective. Despite a grueling late shift the night before, his lieutenant orders him to escort a witness, Eddie Bunker, from local custody to the courthouse sixteen blocks away to testify on a police corruption case before a grand jury at 10 a.m. Bunker tries to be friendly with Mosley, telling him of his aspirations to move to Seattle and open a bakery with his sister who he has never met, but Mosley is uninterested and insists on stopping at a liquor store.

Hired assassins shoot up the escort car, and Mosley drags Bunker to his favorite bar to take shelter and call for backup. Mosley's former partner, Frank Nugent, and several other officers arrive. Nugent admits that he is one of the officers named in the corruption case, and that out of loyalty, Mosley should let him kill him. The corrupt cops try to frame Bunker for firing at an officer, but Mosley intervenes, rescuing Bunker and fleeing.

Mosley briefly stops at his sister Diane's apartment and learns that the police have already approached her about his activities earlier that day. He and Bunker take steps to further elude their pursuers, and Mosley is wounded in the process. They become cornered in a run-down apartment building as Nugent and his men search floor by floor. Mosley calls the district attorney's office, but purposely gives the wrong apartment number, suspecting there is a mole involved.

Mosley and Bunker use the distraction to escape onto a passenger bus and as the police follow them, Mosley is forced to treat the passengers as hostages. The bus crashes into a construction site and is soon surrounded by the ESU. Not wanting the passengers to get caught up in crossfire, Mosley allows them to go free while enabling Bunker to escape in the chaos. Mosley finds a tape recorder while going through the passenger's luggage and prepares a farewell message to Diane.

To his surprise, Bunker returns to the bus; Nugent lines up a shot but is ordered to stand down. Bunker has come to see Mosley as an ally and wants to be there for him to see this through. Bunker's tenacity convinces Mosley to keep fighting, and he manages to drive the bus into an alley, temporarily blocking the police from following them. He finds that Bunker has been wounded, and calls Diane, a paramedic, for help. Diane treats Bunker and arranges for a second ambulance to take them to the hospital. Bunker learns that Mosley is also due to be named in the investigation but is willing to testify in his place. Mosley gets off a block from the courthouse and wishes Bunker luck with his bakery, instructing the paramedic to take Bunker to the Port Authority and put him on a bus for Seattle. Bunker promises to send him a cake on his birthday.

Mosley continues to the courthouse, where the police and ESU are waiting for him as well as the district attorney. Entering through the underground garage, he again refuses Nugent's pleas not to testify. Nugent then orders one of his men to gun down Mosley as he enters, but an ESU sniper intercepts and kills the shooter. Mosley informs the district attorney that he will testify in exchange for Bunker having his record expunged, also revealing that he had recorded the conversation with Nugent in the garage on the tape recorder, which he submits as evidence.

Two years later, Mosley is freed from prison. He celebrates his birthday with Diane and other friends and is surprised to find that the cake had indeed come from Bunker, who has been successful in starting "Eddie & Jack's Good Sign Bakery" in Seattle.

Cast

[edit]

Willis originally wanted rapper Ludacris to play the part of Eddie Bunker.[citation needed] 16 Blocks is the second film in which David Morse plays the villain to Bruce Willis as the protagonist; the first was 12 Monkeys.

Release

[edit]

Theatrical

[edit]

The film, released by Warner Bros., opened in the United States on March 3, 2006.

Alternate ending

[edit]

The film was shot with the ending written for the screenplay (as described by Donner and writer Richard Wenk), but they realized during filming that there was "a better opportunity to have a little more empathy and wrap the picture up in a different way." The ending written for the film changed the scenario in which Frank after watching Jack get in the elevator, instructs Bobby to stand down, saying it's over. But Bobby's radio is off and he is still planning on ambushing Jack. In the lobby, Jack is approached by District Attorney McDonald who says he will testify in Eddie's place in return for Eddie's record being expunged. As Jack reaches into his pocket, Bobby appears and Frank, having run upstairs to stop Bobby, leaps in front of Jack to protect him and gets shot, causing them both to fall down the stairs. When they land at the bottom it's discovered the bullet went through Frank and fatally hit Jack. The tape recorder with Jack and Frank's conversation on it is heard playing in Jack's pocket. Frank tearfully listens and looks at Jack with sorrow. The tape is taken to the jury, Frank and Bobby are led away and a blanket is placed over Jack's body. Sometime later Diane receives a cake from Eddie, supposed to be for Jack's birthday along with a letter saying he sent the cake, hoping to hear from Jack but never did. He was then informed of what happened, he acknowledges Jack and wishes him a happy birthday.

Reception

[edit]

Box office

[edit]

In its opening weekend, the film grossed $12.7 million, which was the second-highest-grossing film of the weekend. As of its May 15, 2006 closing date, the film grossed a total of $36.895 million in the U.S. box office. It made $65.7 million worldwide.[2] According to Box Office Mojo, production costs were around $55 million.[5] The film made $51.53 million on rentals and remained on the DVD top 50 charts for 17 consecutive weeks.

Critical response

[edit]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received an approval rating of 56% approval rating from 162 critics, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The site's consensus reads: "Despite strong performances from Bruce Willis and Mos Def, 16 Blocks barely rises above being a shopworn entry in the buddy-action genre."[6] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 63 out of 100, based on 34 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[7] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[8]

Michael Atkinson of The Village Voice commented that "the clichés come thick on the ground" and called it "a small movie trying to seem epic, or a bloated monster trying to seem lean."[9] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film two-and-a-half out of four stars and called Willis and Mos Def "a terrific team," concluding that "Until Richard Wenk's script drives the characters into a brick wall of pukey sentiment, it's a wild ride."[10] Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert gave it three out of four stars and commended Mos Def for his "character performance that's completely unexpected in an action movie," while calling the film "a chase picture conducted at a velocity that is just about right for a middle-age alcoholic."[11] Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe described the film as admirably old fashioned, praising Donner for his direction, but criticized the film for lacking originality, saying it feels like a remake of The Gauntlet directed by Clint Eastwood.[12]

Remake

[edit]

In May 2013, Original Entertainment confirmed to have sealed a five-picture deal with Millennium Films to produce Bollywood remakes of Rambo, The Expendables, 16 Blocks, 88 Minutes, and Brooklyn's Finest, with the productions for Rambo and The Expendables expected to start at the end of that year.[13]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "16 Blocks (2006): Director Richard Donner Slams Alcon". Archived from the original on 2021-08-17. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  2. ^ a b "16 Blocks (2006)". Archived from the original on 2009-05-14. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  3. ^ Hipes, Patrick (2021-07-05). "Richard Donner Dies: 'Superman', 'Lethal Weapon' And 'The Goonies' Director Was 91". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  4. ^ Gates, Anita (July 5, 2021). "Richard Donner, Director of 'Superman' and 'Lethal Weapon' Films, Dead at 91". The New York Times.
  5. ^ Brandon Gray (March 6, 2006). "'16 Blocks' Gets Clocked by 'Madea'". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on April 18, 2018. Retrieved February 13, 2007.
  6. ^ "16 Blocks". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on September 25, 2013. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  7. ^ "16 Blocks Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2011.
  8. ^ "CinemaScore". Archived from the original on February 6, 2018.
  9. ^ Atkinson, Michael (February 21, 2006). "Aging Hollywood Hack Attempts Clumsy B Movie". The Village Voice. Village Voice Media. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved July 31, 2011.
  10. ^ Travers, Peter (March 7, 2006). "16 Blocks". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  11. ^ Ebert, Roger (March 3, 2006). "16 Blocks". Chicago Sun-Times. Sun-Times Media. Archived from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  12. ^ Wesley Morris (March 3, 2006). "16' blandly goes where films have gone before". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 2017-12-13. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  13. ^ McNary, Dave (May 15, 2013). "Original Ent. Plans Bollywood Remakes of 'Rambo,' 'Expendables' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on July 25, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=16_Blocks&oldid=1264329134"