16 Blocks

This last saturday, I dug through my change to see if I could swing a movie ticket. I've heard enough about 16 Blocks that I wanted to give it a shot. Turns out it was worth the effort. Mos Def and Bruce Willis both did excellent work as a petty crook trying to testify and a washed out cop, respectively. Seeing Willis with a belly that lops over his belt, trudging up the steps, worn and tired set the stage for an action/cop thriller where the characters look as if they could have actually been drawn from the rank and file of New York's finest.
It's a tad frustrating that they never explain exactly what Def's character is testifying about. They admit fairly early on, and in the previews that it involves some unpleasant activity by some of the police. Willis has to decide whether or not he wants to side with the cops or with the nobody criminal who dosen't even get his suit in time for his court appearance.
This is an excellent film, in my opinion, with a satisfying and realistic conclusion. There aren't any of those flash-bang explosions, and angels don't come down from the sky to sing hallelujias. Good people suffer some, and you can bet that bad people don't get the full penalty we may think they deserve, but this film is worth the price of admission.