OK, so “16 Blocks” isn’t high art. It’s not even remotely original. In fact, if you’ve ever seen another movie about rogue cops, you can safely skip “16 Blocks.” The premise is weak and the rest of the plot is paper-thin and it should by all rights have gone directly to video. It’s surprising, then, that it’s not much of a slog to get through, and with decent turns by Bruce Willis and Mos Def, there are moments when “16 Blocks” glides along fine.

Willis stars as Jack Mosely, an aging, alcoholic detective with a bum leg and a heavy conscience. He’s assigned early one morning to transport Eddie Bunker (Def), a star witness in what turns out to be a police corruption case, from a holding cell to the courthouse, a mere 16-block journey. It’s no leisurely stroll for Jack and Eddie, though. Some of Jack’s crooked colleagues, including his old partner Frank (David Morse), are intent on capping Eddie before he can give his testimony. If this sounds suspiciously derivative, well, that’s because it is.

Willis, now over 50, is starting to show his age, and if this movie is any indication, his ascension to senior citizenship is going to be about as graceful as an elephant on roller skates. But there’s life in the old guy yet, and Willis still has some of the charm he brought to “Pulp Fiction” and the “Die Hard” franchise. For his part, Morse strikes just the right note as a corrupt cop hellbent on keeping his critics, including Jack, silent. In one scene, the city’s police brass arrive at the scene of a tense situation involving Jack and Eddie. And though his bosses are calling the shots, Frank’s mere presence reveals who’s really in charge.

As for Def, recent films like “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” and “The Woodsman” have proven he’s got some serious acting chops; however, “16 Blocks” is definitely a step down for him. As Eddie, Def talks nonstop nonsense and you’d be tempted to think he’s either mentally challenged or a crazy crackhead. That is, until he has a lucid moment with a clever line, and then it just seems like neither Def nor screenwriter Richard Wenk were really sure what was going on with the character. Even so, Eddie, as taxing as he can be to both Jack and the audience, is an easy character to root for and gives the film its sympathetic center.

However, those 16 blocks through Manhattan in the summertime are a long hike, and it takes more than a trio of better-than-average performances to carry the movie. The characters are all too thinly sketched out and it’s not until the last 10 minutes that we learn why Jack is so tenacious in his quest to get Eddie to court. By that point, though, it’s all but impossible to get wrapped up in thinking about how much easier it would have been if, once all the mayhem got underway, Eddie and Jack just snagged a cab instead of hoofing it. It wouldn’t have made for much of an interesting movie, but the trip would have been a lot better.

directed by: Richard Donner
starring: Bruce Willis, Mos Def and David Morse
rated: PG-13 for violence, intense sequences of action, and some strong language