16 BLOCKS — ** — Bruce Willis, Mos Def, David Morse; rated PG-13 (violence, profanity, brief gore, brief drugs).

In "16 Blocks" Mos Def affects a peculiar accent, as well as an equally peculiar manner of speaking. He sounds more like the cable Independent Film Channel's "Greg the Bunny" than a streetwise hustler, which is his character.

The rapper-turned-actor, whose real name is Dante Smith, has impressed in supporting roles in "The Italian Job" and "The Woodsman." But here, Mos Def gives an unconvincing motor-mouth performance that brings to mind the annoying Chris Tucker of the "Rush Hour" movies. As a result, Mos Def is the most irritating thing about this suspense-thriller.

But he's far from the most unconvincing aspect of "16 Blocks," which only gets more ludicrous and contrived as it goes along.

Bruce Willis stars as Jack Mosley, a broken-down, boozy New York City detective who's obviously seen better days. Jack has just wrapped up a long shift when he's handed another assignment: To transport Eddie Bunker (Mos Def) to court, where he's supposed to testify against a crooked cop.

This is supposed to be an easy assignment — but no one told that to the gunmen who have been pursuing Jack and Eddie since they left the jail's holding area. As it turns out, these would-be assassins are some of Jack's fellow police detectives, including his former partner Frank (David Morse), who is urging him to simply turn Eddie over to them and walk away.

This plot should be fairly simple, but screenwriter Richard Wenk complicates things by throwing in a few twists that really strain credibility. At one point, it seems like the uneasy, unlikely duo of Frank and Eddie is facing off against the entire NYPD.

To his credit, veteran action director Richard Donner (the "Lethal Weapon" movies) does manage to create a few suspenseful moments, such as a bus-hijacking sequence. But it would be easier to accept Willis in this role if he hadn't played similar characters in two 2005 movies, "Hostage" and "Frank Miller's Sin City."

As for Mos Def, after 15 minutes you'll be rooting for Willis' character to throw him to the wolves.

"16 Blocks" is rated PG-13 for some strong scenes of violence (including shootings and some vehicular violence), occasional use of strong profanity (including two usages of the so-called "R-rated" curse word), some brief gore, and brief drug content (including drug references). Running time: 102 minutes.

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