20 Years Ago, Bruce Willis Starred In An Action Thriller From A Legendary Superhero Movie Director

In 2006, Bruce Willis teamed up with director Richard Donner for "16 Blocks," an action thriller that united two legends for the kind of movie that, had it been released in the mid-90s, would have been a massive hit. As it stands, "16 Blocks" is a somewhat forgotten entry in the filmographies of both Willis and Donner. But it deserves to be remembered not only because it was the director's final film, but also because, when watched in retrospect, it's a really well-done action thriller that reminds us of a type of filmmaking rapidly disappearing in the streaming age.

Pairing one of the best action movie actors of all time with the director responsible for the quintessential superhero movie was just a really good idea. With 1978's "Superman," Donner not only gave Supes the reverent big screen celebration he deserved, but he also invented the blueprint for the modern blockbuster. Though he never gained the kind of critical praise that many of his peers enjoyed, Donner will always be a legend for "Superman" alone. Of course, that film is far from his only triumph. The director also delivered a horror classic in "The Omen," charmed kids everywhere with "The Goonies," and reinvigorated buddy-cop action with the "Lethal Weapon" films — experience that came in handy for "16 Blocks."

Meanwhile, Willis had played arguably the quintessential cop action hero in the "Die Hard" movies, which is why it's sort of unbelievable that he and Donner didn't collaborate in their prime. Still, we did at least get a Willis/Donner movie before the latter retired, even if we had to wait until 2006 for it to actually happen.

Richard Donner considered "Superman" the toughest two years of his life, but it paid off. Even James Gunn's charming crowd-pleaser "Superman" can't compete with Donner's original film, which remains a shining example of how superhero movies should be done. The fact that Donner directed many other types of movies and was often very successful is a testament to his versatility. By the mid-2000s, having amassed such an impressive filmography, he didn't necessarily need to work on any more projects. But teaming up with Bruce Willis just made so much sense.

"16 Blocks" sees a mustachioed Willis return to jaded cop territory as boozy NYPD detective Jake Mosley. After a particularly grueling late shift, Mosley is tasked with escorting witness Eddie Bunker (Yasiin Bey, FKA Mos Def) 16 blocks to the local courthouse, where he's set to testify in a police corruption case. As you might expect, the more dubious members of New York's finest aren't all that thrilled about Bunker's testimony, which isn't great news for the witness. It's not all that great for Mosley, either, who suddenly finds himself in the position of having to navigate a perilous path through New York as corrupt cops led by Mosley's ex-partner, Detective Frank Nugent (David Morse), descend upon the transport route. Can Willis' exhausted, hungover detective safely deliver Bunker, or will the crooked cops dispatch the witness before he can take the stand?

When he made "16 Blocks," Willis hadn't yet fully entered his direct-to-video era. He still had two more "Die Hard" movies in him at the time, neither of which actually panned out all that well. "16 Blocks," however, was one of his better late-career projects.

Detective Jake Mosley isn't one of Bruce Willis' best roles, mostly because the actor is basically playing a more boozy John McClane. But as Roger Ebert noted in his three-star review, the man simply can't go wrong as a beleaguered underdog cop. "He gets that look in his eye that says: It's going to be a pain in the ass for me to do this, but I couldn't live with myself if I didn't," wrote Ebert. "I always believe that more easily than the look that merely says: I will prevail because this is an action picture and I play the hero."

Ebert wasn't the only critic who liked "16 Blocks," either. The film's 55% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes doesn't quite convey how taken many critics were with Richard Donner's final film. "Hiding among all the uniforms and bullets, it turns out, is an actors' movie, and two actors more than capable of hitting their marks," wrote Moira MacDonald of the Seattle Times. "Richard Donner still has it," proclaimed the Austin Chronicle's Marc Savlov.

"16 Blocks" certainly didn't win over everybody, but I'd wager half the critics with a negative opinion would have lapped it up if they'd seen it in the early '90s or 2020s. Had it debuted the decade prior, it would likely have avoided many of the accusations of relying on action thriller cliches and simply be viewed as a prime example of 90s action filmmaking. Had it arrived in the 2020s, it would have been a revelation. Real locations? No green screen or CGI? Organic character development in an action script? "16 Blocks" isn't just one of Donner's best films; it's become a salve for the streaming-weary. The movie is available to stream for free on Tubi.