Movie Review: 16 Blocks.

Broken-down, lush cop needs to transport a witness from lockup to the courthouse to testify against corrupt cops. Said corrupt cops try to gun down broken-down, lush cop and witness (in bus) before the witness can testify. Sound familiar?

You're right-it's precisely the same plot as 1977's The Gauntlet directed by (and starring) Clint Eastwood.

If 16 Blocks was not intended as an homage or tribute to the classic Eastwood film, then it's a cheap uncredited rip-off.

Directed by action-meister Richard Donner of the Lethal Weapon franchise and led by action hero Bruce Willis, this movie failed to live up their promise.

This purported action movie instead constituted lengthy, debilitating speeches punctuated by boring, pedestrian "shoot-outs". To compound the problems, many of the monologues were delivered by a character given to an affected speaking style that was more irritating than entertaining.

16 Blocks receives a "C-". It would have received a D, but the ending pulled the movie out of that abyss.