A Bruce Willis thriller that actually played in theaters rebounds on Netflix

There’s an entire generation out there that may not even be aware that Bruce Willis used to be a movie star. A really big one, no less. The chrome-domed action icon was one of the most popular names in the business during his heyday, but you’re ten times more likely to find him in your local bargain bin than your multiplex in 2021.

Since the beginning of 2018, Willis has appeared in no less than nineteen thrillers of varying quality. How many of them scored a theatrical release, you may ask? Precisely two. However, we’re diving a little further back to highlight the unexpected success of 16 Blocks on streaming, which arrived in March 2006 and served as legendary director Richard Donner’s final film.

Unfolding almost in real time, Willis’ veteran detective Jack Mosley is tasked with transporting a witness across the titular distance, but he finds himself caught up in a dangerous game he could never have seen coming. A redemption story and a wham-bang crime story at once, it’s an underrated little B-tier cops-and-robbers tale.

As per FlixPatrol, 16 Blocks has appeared on the Netflix most-watched list all of a sudden, where it’s likely to rise even higher by the end of the week. Saturday and Sunday are when subscribers love to turn their brains of and relax, and Donner’s swansong delivers enough entertainment to whittle away 108 minutes.