16 Blocks

A bit late for first-run movie houses, but if you're looking for something on cable....

16 Blocks is a crackling, tightly written cop movie. Director Richard Donner has had fun movies in the past but seemed to be running out of steam - this film shows he can still make a compelling (though escapist) film with the best. The keys, of course, are the great characterizations by the leads Bruce Willis, Mos Def, and David Morse. Our aging cop-hero is over-the-hill, but sets out to redeem himself defending a minor criminal, who needs to get to a Grand Jury hearing across town. While this could have been larded up into latter-"Die Hard"-movie boredom, it actually comes across more like a snappy off-Broadway play (with just enough bullets and buses to keep it fun).