16 Blocks

"1 witness… 118 minutes…"

2006 1h 45m EN

😐

6.5

MID

★6.5TMDB · 2,187

ActionAdventureCrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An aging cop is assigned the ordinary task of escorting a fast-talking witness from police custody to a courthouse, but they find themselves running the gauntlet as other forces try to prevent them from getting there.

“1 witness… 118 minutes…”

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Cast

Bruce Willis
Jack Mosley
Yasiin Bey
Eddie Bunker
David Morse
Frank Nugent
Jenna Stern
Diane Mosley
Casey Sander
Captain Dan Gruber
Cylk Cozart
Jimmy Mulvey
David Zayas
Robert Torres
Robert Racki
Jerry Shue

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Richard Donner
Writers: Richard Wenk, Richard Wenk
Languages: English
Countries: Germany, United States of America, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $55M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 20 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Germany, United States of America, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CAST

Did you know

265+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Richard Donner, shot by Glen MacPherson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Klaus Badelt. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Steve Mirkovich shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Bruce Willis and Yasiin Bey and David Morse carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Richard Donner directs. Glen MacPherson behind the camera. Klaus Badelt scores. Steve Mirkovich cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in Germany, United States of America, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $55M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Released 20 years ago.
3International production across 3 countries: Germany, United States of America, United Kingdom.
4265+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
5Directed by Richard Donner, shot by Glen MacPherson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Klaus Badelt. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Steve Mirkovich shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Bruce Willis and Yasiin Bey and David Morse carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "1 witness… 118 minutes…".
10IMDB entry: tt0450232 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Released under 13 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Glen MacPherson
Original score: Klaus Badelt
Editing: Steve Mirkovich
Production design: Arvinder Greywal
Costume design: Vicki Graef
Makeup / hair: Victor DeNicola
VFX supervisor: Evan Jacobs
Sound: Terry Porter
Stunt coordinator: Branko Racki
Runtime: 105 min · 1h 45m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $55,000,000
Box office: $65,664,721
Return: 119% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: 16 Blocks (2006)

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Richard Donner

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What people are saying

r96sk2020-08-19
★ 7/10
Iffy at times, but <em>'16 Blocks'</em> produces a fine enough thriller - one that I can say I enjoyed. Bruce Willis and Mos Def double up well as Jack and Eddie. I particularly like Willis' look for the majority of the film, he genuinely looks how his character supposedly is - good acting, but also some nice make-up etc. Mos Def is solid, I remember liking him when he appeared on <em>'Dexter'</em> - I rate him less here, just because of the annoying voice he has; which grates hard at times. Speaking of that Showtime television show, Angel Batista himself (David Zayas) also appears which is cool. David Morse, meanwhile, makes for an OK villain - the casting perhaps could've been greater for the antagonist, mind. None of the plot is all that shocking or surprising, every crossroad that appears is pretty simple to predict where it's heading. Also, maybe I'm the only one who felt this, but there's one moment on a bus where it seems as if Jack is about to unleash some unbelievable secret plan but it just fizzles out into oddly nothing. Might be just me. All in all though, I reckon you'll be able to find a satisfactory 105 minutes with this - I did, at least.
Rob2023-06-25
★ 9/10
16 Blocks is an incredibly atmospheric movie with some quite incredibly done street scenes. Its intensity draws you in and makes you quickly form strong opinions of each character. I initially considered Mos Def's character to be annoying, but after a number of watches I realised if he hadn't given his character so much character then he would have been inconsequential and that would have weakened the movie severely. I think Bruce Willis was very brave to take the part of Jack Mosley and commit to it in the way he did. He makes this film what it is.