It's been a while since a good, old-fashioned buddy cop thriller has hit the cinema.

Trust Richard Donner, who virtually perfected the genre with Lethal Weapon, to bring it back with a fast-paced twist.

Jack Mosley (Bruce Willis) is your typical burnt-out cop. An ageing alcoholic with a dodgy leg and self-loathing issues, he's basically keeping his head down and waiting to retire.

Sporting a wicked hangover and nearing the end of his shift, the last thing he needs is to escort a motor-mouthed prisoner 16 blocks to New York's courthouse.

Thinking of the overtime, though, he grudgingly accepts.

It's a simple task; deliver Eddie Bunker (Mos Def) to the court within two hours for his scheduled testimony.

But lots of people want to shut Eddie up. Unfortunately for Jack, most of them are corrupt cops, led by his own ex-partner Frank Nugent (David Morse).

With Jack's reputation already in the toilet, they expect him to roll over while they murder Eddie.

Sadly for them, Jack's sick of rolling over. Determined to do one last thing right, he and Eddie run the 16 block gauntlet to the court, racing to get there before the trial is thrown out.

16 Blocks is a solid little action thriller. The key concept is neat and well managed, unfolding almost in "real time", like TV's 24.

It makes for a frantically enjoyable tour of downtown New York, through the back alleys and basements of Chinatown and Little Italy.

It also delivers some terrifically suspenseful chases and shootouts.

In its best scenes, the film moves at a breakneck pace designed to keep the audience off-guard.

It's a shame then, that the movie flags slightly in the final stretch.

It's always enjoyable, but the urgency falters just at the moments when the clock should be ticking most loudly.

The film's strongest asset is Willis' terrifically sparse central performance. His usual action flick mannerisms - the smirk and the cocky one-liners - are completely absent.

Instead he's all hangover and bad mood, breaking out in cold sweats and fighting back the shakes even as he's dodging bullets from his own colleagues.

With this and last year's Sin City, it's great to see him embracing the roles his advancing years offer.

It's a stark contrast to, say, Harrison Ford who's forever taking on parts 15 years too young for him.

There's also an unexpectedly strong performance from Mos Def. At the start of the film Eddie is worryingly annoying.

Cleverly, though, he becomes more endearing as the movie progresses; just as Mosley starts to like the babbling crook, so do we.

The interplay between the two is engaging and amusing, despite some unnecessary sentiment toward the end.

And as the villain of the piece, character actor David Morse is also on great form.

He's a cold customer, but never becomes a scenery chewing caricature.

You get the sense these corrupt cops weren't always bad guys; rather, they made some wrong choices that sent them spinning out of control.

Ultimately 16 Blocks is a taut little thriller that goes the distance.

It's no masterpiece, but it entertains at every junction, moving faster than any limping cop should be able to.

Neil Phillips