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16 Blocks
R3 - Hong Kong - Deltamac Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak and Cameron Murray (14th November 2006). |
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The Film
 "16 Blocks" is the story of Jack Mosley (Bruce Willis) who has to transport a witness (Mos Def) to the courthouse so that he can testify against some crooked cops. As the title would suggest the courthouse is 16 blocks away, the catch is that every cop in New York (slight exaggeration) wants the witness dead. The potential for this story had me practically salivating at the mouth in anticipation. What could be better than Bruce Willis returning to his bread and butter of being a down and out New York detective coming good on his potential? And Mos Def playing a constantly talking slightly retarded but quite endearing criminal, turned witness? Apparently a lot of things, that's not to say that this is not a thoroughly enjoyable movie, it's just saying that it's not a great movie. The story of "16 Blocks" had a lot of potential, as there was the incredibly short distance that the buddy duo had to cover but the time limit of getting the witness to court before the grand jury disbanded. It was quite a simple story but the twist at the end did catch me by surprise, which hasn't happened for a while, and I think was a testament to the writing of the script, given that in this day and age everyone is searching for the twist in the movie from the second the opening credits begin to play. The dialogue was quite one sided with Mos Def having the majority of it, but that suited his and Willis' character, and it wasn't quite so much a Chris Tucker in "Rush Hour" (1998) and "Rush Hour 2" (2001) type deal, it was more of a nervous character trait which some people find annoying but not I. Unfortunately the film doesn't create the sense of tension that these two elements; short distance and time limit, could have provided, there was no feeling that Willis and Def were battling against the crooked cops, the clock and all the while the short distance seeming to get longer in the process. You felt that there was an opportunity to make you feel every meter that they gained, like your favorite sports team as they struggle to make it across the line against their sworn enemies. Stylistically it was fun but not groundbreaking, at times the shots reminded me of "Phone Booth" (2002), but not quite as slick. Willis plays a down trodden, past his prime, alcoholic New York detective amazingly well, but having been doing that for years it's not very surprising. It was quite pleasant to see an older Willis, wrinkles and all. Mos Def does very well and shines against Willis given that the characters are polar opposites with Willis' character thinking that life is too long and Mos Def 's character having a sunny disposition. The truly surprising performance has to come from David Morse, who plays Frank Nugent, Mosley's ex-partner and the ring leader of the crooked cops. He plays the role in a very slick fashion, constantly trying to play Mosley, that they are friends and that he wants what's best for him all the while trying to have him killed. A good performance all round from this cast. I enjoyed this movie, but I pretty much like anything with Bruce Willis in it, I also have a growing respect for Mos Def as an Actor. But I am not foolish enough to think that this is a great movie I think that if you are after a movie to kill some time and don't really feel like watching an over hyped action film then this is the one for you.
Video
This film is presented in its original theatrical ratio of 2.40:1 this anamorphic widscreen transfer is excellent. It was sharp and exhibited fine detail beautifully, the print did not have any major flaws that I could detect such as edge-enhancement, damage or compression atrefacts, although I did spot some very minor instances of moire. Otherwise I found that the colors were well balanced and skin tones appeared natural with black levels deep and bold and shadow detail consistently good throughout. Overall this is a solid effort from Deltamac.
Audio
Two audio tracks are included, both in English. The first is a DTS-ES 5.1 Matrix surround track and the second is a Dolby Digital 5.1 EX encoded track. For the purposes of this review I chose to view the film with its DTS ES track and found it spectacular. The dialogue is clear and distortion free, which is to be expected. But the track displays amazing depth and has an immserive quality that continually proves why DTS tracks are superior. The New York city streets come alive in these channels, and the action sequences feel aggressive and loud, especially gun shots. The bus siege is equally exiting with direction effects utilize all channels. Nothing feels out of place. Overall this is an excellent DTS ES surround track. Optional subtitles are include in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and also in English.
Extras
First up is a collection of 8 deleted scenes that play in a reel that runs 19 minutes 49 seconds, these scenes include introduction and forced commentary with director Richard Donner and screenwriter Richard Wenk. The scene include an unused opening sequence with the Russian guys getting guys, an additional scene with Mosley transporting Eddie in the car and calling him a rat, Eddie eludes Mosely and is caught in a bakery, a longer version of a scene were Eddie talks about making deals on hair care products, an extended Chinatown scene where Mosely tries to contact the District Attorney's office as he's being traced through the cell phone, an extended underground Chinatown sequence, Eddie tells the riddle to the old Chinese man that let them in his apartment and an unedited scene where Eddie holds a gun up to Frank. Next up we have an alternate ending which runs for 5 minutes 3 seconds, this scene can be viewed individually or you have the option to see the alternate ending cut back into the film via seamless branching. The scene is much darker than the ending used in the film's theatrical release, where Bobby disobeys Frank's order to stand down and ends up shooting Mosley before he's taken in to testify. The final clip is also different with Mosley's sister receiving the cake from Eddie. Rounding out the extras is the film's original theatrical trailer which runs for 2 minutes 12 seconds.
Packaging
This DVD is packaged in an amaray case that is housed in a cardboard slip-case.
Overall
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