NYPD Blues

A more recent NYC film is out now on DVD. 16 Blocks stars Bruce Willis as an aging, weary, drunken cop. At the end of each day he's tired and just wants to head for the nearest bar to drown his sorrows. However today his superior asks him to perform just one more simple task - transport a witness from Police custody to the courthouse. A distance of 16 only blocks. Reluctantly he picks up the witness, played by Mos Def, unaware that there are elements within the Police force that will do anything to prevent the witness testifying. It seems like nearly all the cops are bent and that Mos will be able to finger them. After this preamble Bruce and Mos have to get to the courthouse through the streets of Manhattan without getting killed.


This is Mos Def's film as much as it is Bruce's; His whiney wisecracking takes a bit of getting used to but you soon warm to his character. The ever reliable David Morse plays Bruce's ex partner, the main baddie who, despite their joint past, is quite willing to kill him.

Veteran director Richard Donner (Superman, The Omen, Lethal Weapon) keeps the plot and action moving at pace. All in all it's a good thriller and one of Bruce Willis' best.