I'd missed the theatric release of this film, but was happy to catch it on cable. I've been impressed with Mos Def in smaller roles (The Italian Job, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and Dave Chappelle's Block Party) and was eager to see him in a larger role. He didn't let me down. And Bruce Willis (Live Free or Die Hard) is always commanding. It was fun to see him as the beaten down, alcoholic cop.

At its heart, this is actually an excellent film. I really love the interaction between Willis and Def -- the washed up, sold-his-soul-long-ago cop and the people-can-change touting prisoner. The script, acting, direction all conspire beautifully to portray the way these two eventually win each other over despite their fear and hardened skepticism.

But alas, the decision was made to make this an action film. And, yes, some of the action is very good. The first bullets flying scene is shot very well. But, as filmmakers seek to escalate the big excitement, believability suffers severely. Hence, the film slips from the A range to my B range. But, I still enjoyed it. Surprisingly, the film sports a very good message.

David Morse also delivers as the bad cop ever-looking for an easy solution as solutions begin to be harder to find.

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