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Except Sin City, in which he doesn't play the main character, I haven't found Bruce Willis's films too great lately on the whole. He has been trying to branch out into more diverse roles, and whereas some of them have worked (e.g. Unbreakable), I tend to find myself wanting the old smirky action-man Bruce back. Here he plays an overweight alcoholic cop. The film does depart from standard action movie formula in places, such as having the not-entirely-likeable main character, and a gritty, 70s-esque feel, but it doesn't completely pull it off. I liked the premise of this film as soon as I heard it, and it was very good in stretches, but for me just didn't manage to sustain the quality throughout. There were some lulls that were just a bit slow, mainly in the first half. In patches it was really excellent though, so it has to go down as a missed opportunity, but I'd say it is worth a watch.
The summary
16 Blocks is a refreshingly different and gritty take on the action movie, but I was never completely engrossed. Mos Def's whiny performance may also irritate some, although I didn't mind it.
