Bruce Willis‘ underrated action thriller 16 Blocks plays like a stealth remake of a Clint Eastwood movie. This Bruce Willis action movie cast the screen icon as a burned-out cop, who is given the task of escorting a witness to trial. Unfortunately for Willis’ Jack Mosley, this means dodging corrupt cops determined to stop this witness from testifying.
16 Blocks was also the final film from director Richard Donner (the Lethal Weapon movies, Superman 1978), who gives the lean thriller a propulsive edge. It’s the kind of modestly budgeted movie that would go direct to streaming now, which is a shame, as theaters could use more stripped back thrillers like it.
16 Blocks scored over $65 million in 2006, plus around another $50 million in rentals (via The Numbers). Reviews were mixed, but Willis was praised for his work, with Mosley being a prematurely aged, pudgy mess who has to rise to the occasion. Some consider 16 Blocks an unofficial Die Hard sequel too, with Mosley feeling like an older McClane.
Bruce Willis’ 16 Blocks Is A Stealth Remake Of Clint Eastwood’s The Gauntlet
Both Bruce and Clint had to run a real Gauntlet
The basic setup for 16 Blocks is borrowed from Clint Eastwood’s awesome 1970s thriller The Gauntlet. Both feature loser detectives given an annoying ᴀssignment to babysit after a key witness , and then fighting through a wave of corrupt officers and ᴀssᴀssins. Critically, both movies climax with their heroes driving buses through a hail of gunfire.
Eastwood’s character Shockley is a little slicker and more in shape than Willis’ Mosley, but they have much in comment. The key difference is that in The Gauntlet, Shockley’s witness Gus (Sondra Locke) becomes his love interest, while 16 Blocks’ Eddie (Mos Def) and Mosley only form a reluctant friendship.
… running the two movies back to back reveals the influence is undeniable, with 16 Blocks taking the skeleton of The Gauntlet before branching out in its own direction.
The Willis movie is also less violent and scuzzy than its 1977 predecessor. Still, running the two movies back to back reveals the influence is undeniable, with 16 Blocks taking the skeleton of The Gauntlet before branching out in its own direction.
16 Blocks Is One Of Bruce Willis’ Most Underrated Action Movies
It features one of Bruce Willis’ best action performances
After Willis rose to stardom with the Die Hard movies, a lot of his action roles tended to have the same ingredients: wiseᴀss quips, a knowing smirk, and that kind of death glare he gives characters he hates. Some of these action roles could be kind of stock, but with 16 Blocks, Willis sheds all his movie star ego.
As mentioned above, Mosley is out of shape, his hair is almost gone, and he’s always sweating and panting. Mosley isn’t John McClane or Harry Stamper; he is a man poisoned with guilt who forces himself to do the right thing, even when he knows what it will cost him.
Richard Donner planned to make a fifth Lethal Weapon before he pᴀssed away in 2021.
16 Blocks is worth seeing for Willis’ top-level performance, but it really works as a character-based action movie. David Morse’s villain is a compelling foe, the movie uses a 24-style real-time format to keep the tension up and an old pro like Donner knows how to stage a punchy setpiece.
16 Blocks is no classic, but it’s a really solid genre piece anchored by great performances. It’s kind of slipped beneath the radar in recent years, but it’s overdue for a rediscovery.
Source: The Numbers
