OK: I guess the history of film's "dark ages" literally is so little remembered that Mos Def's subtle homage in 16 BLOCKS just flies over the heads of the mostly deaf (to history) critics, both professional and amateur. "Irritating", "annoying", and "aggravating" are the adjectives most often used to describe Mos Def's performance as Eddie in Richard Donner's latest film: a well-paced urban cop thriller which takes ordinary action-film clichés and raises them to about the pinnacle of their potential (while still remaining clichés).<br /><br />A handful of the professional critics noted the similarity of Def's performance to those of the stereotyped cringing menials presented by actors such as Stepin Fetchit in Hollywood films of the 1930s. But these critics make this connection almost invariably in a disapproving, condescending tone.<br /><br />No one, it seems, gets it (or perhaps a few I have not read, but many, at least fail to recognize the significance of what Def has attempted-- and I believe successfully-- to do). Watch him in the film: how he walks, how he talks, his "irritating" voice: Mos Def IS Stepin Fetchit. It is a very special kind of homage.<br /><br />In interviews over the years, Mos Def has time and again spoken about the African-American actors from those long-ago, racist years of Hollywood's early sound era. He is fully aware of the shoulders he stands on, and of the legacy he has inherited (from Fetchit to Bill "Bojangles" Robinson to Hattie McDaniel, Dooley Wilson, Juano Hernandez, Leigh Whipper, Dorothy Daindridge, Sidney Poitier. through to the success stories of today-- Lou Gosset Jr., Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jr., Denzel Washington, Hallie Berry, Morgan Freeman, Jamie Foxx, and so many more). So his Eddie in 16 BLOCKS is played as though Stepin Fetchit in his prime were somehow transported into the 21st century and given a role commensurate to his talents. "Look!" Def seems to be saying. "See what this guy COULD have done!" It is Def's subtle homage to the great Styepin Fetchit (Hollywood's first black "star"-- for what it was worth at the time) adds hidden depths to 16 BLOCKS, and it compliments Bruce Willis' affecting performance quite impressively.<br /><br />See the other reviews for more specific details about the film. But in the end, remember: Mos Def's "irritating", "annoying", and "aggravating" performance is a very special kind of tribute, and it works!