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| Mos Def as Eddie Bunker and Bruce Willis as Jack Mosley |
There’s a great, little
movie with Bruce Willis that was released a decade ago.
It’s about a dried-out, depressed alcoholic cop, who at the last minute is assigned to escort a witness to the courthouse for a 10am hearing. The witness is an ex-con who saw something go down with a dirty cop. The dirty cop and his friends are on the move to intercept the witness before he reaches the courthouse, so our alcoholic cop is now on the run to defend him. ‘turns out later that our alcoholic cop reveals that the witness he's protecting was going to take him down too with his testimony. Our cop has been a part of this rogue unit of police. In the end, our cop goes in to do the right thing.
In the late 1990’s, my ex-girlfriend introduced me to the album, Black Star in a merciful attempt to expose me to a more authentic Hip Hop experience. I hadn't heard of Mos Def until then. The album was released in 1998 and it's a collaborative effort with rapper, Talib Kweli. Stand out songs are "Definition" and "Redefinition", “Brown Skin Lady” (The opening conversation is sampled from a film called, Chameleon Street) and “Thieves in the Night”. For the latter, please click play on the video above (Mos Def performs the second verse and harmonizes at the end).
In 2002, Mos Def was cast as Booth in Topdog/Underdog, a play by Suzan-Lori Parks which he later won a joint award for with co-star Jeffrey Wright. I remember that it was a play I studied a long time as a struggling playwright. Bamboozled is a film by Spike Lee with a great concept, and the most memorable performance for me was by Mos Def. In 16 Blocks, he takes on the role of Eddie Bunker. It could've been played by another actor as a throw-away comedic role-- maybe with some tired, stray racial quips. But Mos elevates the seriousness of the story. He adopts a kind of nasal, talkative and fidgety stutter. It's just irritating enough to notice, but not enough to make us hate him. Mos Def doesn’t play him as a stereotype. There’s a sweetness in Eddie that's at just the right measure. There's a 4 part harmony type of thing going on which is what great actors do. I could see the layered thought, the honesty and respect. It's very exciting to see him working his craft. It’s one of the most wonderful performances to watch in this movie. The heart of this character-- his desire to do right is exhilarating! Roger Ebert called Mos Def's work, “a character performance completely unexpected in an action movie…”
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| Mos Def and Jeffrey Wright in the play, Topdog/Underdog |
16 Blocks wasn’t a big hit. Labels that are given by critics
like, "chase movie" cheapens the overall quality. Detective Jack Mosley
is a guy who is reaping what he has sown. It seems he's having a worse
time with it than his colleagues. So it's a very good sign of a live
conscience in him. One of the great scenes of this movie is when the
dirty cops catch up to Jack and Eddie in the bar. They’re going to kill
Eddie and make it look like self-defense. David Morse plays Frank
Nugent. Frank chews his gum in smooth, small bites. His hand gestures
are cool. He's running things. He leans over the bar in distracting
banal guy talk with Jack. Then BAM! A shotgun hole takes out the leg of
one of the cops about to kill Eddie. The cops are stunned and reaching
for their weapons. Jack pulls the shotgun from behind the stand, cocks
it and aims pointblank at Frank's head. The tense gaze between the two--
the wordless defiance. This is Jack's turning point. He's not down with
the dirty anymore. It is one of the most exciting scenes of the movie!
This is the crux of the movie. This is what quickens the righteous
heart. There’s no unearned musical flourish and there’s no super cocky
clichéd talk. He’s just a man who is dog gone tired of being a villain
and he’s willing to die to do the right thing rather than stay the
coward. And I love it. But I suspect most people didn't get it.
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| Eddie Bunker is caught at the bar |
Not strong,
Only aggressive,
cause the power ain't directed
That's why, we are subjected to the will
of the oppressive
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| David Morse as Detective Frank Nugent |
Jack Mosley and Eddie Bunker are too unlikely people who have to team
up for the right thing. It's a believable pursuit. There aren’t any
gratuitous speeches about right and wrong, but it’s clear that both men
want to change. They want to repent. For Jack, the cost is greater. It
means losing respect, friends, his job and maybe his life. Bruce Willis
is always a favorite; he plays the role with an aching manhood. His
shame is great, but he still looks like a man. When I first saw the
film, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Richard Donner had directed
it. Richard Donner did directorial duties for Superman, The Goonies, and Lethal Weapon.
I don’t think many ticket goers went home pondering too hard about the
morality of the movie, but I like to think that it left enough of an
impression to cause real reflection in people's lives. That comforts a
vague disappointment I have about the box office.
The second greatest scenes are at the end when Jack is confronted by
Frank again in the underground courthouse parking lot. He's alone. Eddie
is gone. Jack is going to testify. The exchange between these two is
charged. Jack is going to do the right thing, but Frank isn't having
it.
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| "He was gonna take down our case." "He was somebody's husband." "He was gonna take down our case!" "He was somebody's father." "He was gonna take down our case. What were we supposed to do?!" "If you wanted to, tell the truth." "F*** THE TRUTH!!" |
I was on the bus going home last night and I remembered spotting Frank's mouth quiver when he screamed that line. I saw it for the first time a few nights ago. This may be hard to conceive, but I saw him as a little child. It's not a flowery statement and it doesn't do away with the lies and the murder, or the consequences he must face. But I had a gush of compassion in my heart. All that hard exterior gave way to a scared child trying not to cry. A man standing in a scary world without someone to help him and being expected to do the right thing. I saw him the way God sees everyone of us. I saw him-- and people like him-- as lost, messed up folks who God wants to forgive, clean up and change. It made me think differently on the bus about my own enemies. Personally, I know that's not a passing thing. A struggle, but not a passing thing.
Not strong
Only aggressive
Not free
We only licensed
Not compassionate, only polite
Now who the nicest?
Not good but well behaved
Chasin' after death
So we can call ourselves brave?
Still livin' like mental slaves
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