Customer Reviews

15 Minutes [VHS]

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(29)

 

 

15 Minutes is a horrifying and gritty peek into the injustice of the American legal system and also the news media. Wow, two digs in one film, how can you resist?

Emil Slovak, a Czech National (played by Karel Rodan), and his friend Oleg Razgul, a Russian National (played by Oleg Taktarov), who met in Prague, decide to travel to America, the land of opportunity. Emil wants to hunt down his old crime partner, who took all the money from the robbery he was jailed for, but Oleg is infatuated with American Cinema and wants be a filmmaker.

Immediately upon arriving, Oleg steals a video camera from a store and they are off to confront Emil's old partner and get their money back. But while Oleg films the event, Emil discovers that his portion of the money was already spent, and he kills his friend and friend's wife. Unfortunately, there was someone else watching the murder. Daphne Handlova had been staying with her friends, and fled the apartment after witnessing the murders. An illegal alien herself, she does not want for the police or the killers to find her, but leaves her purse behind in the apartment where Emil discovers who she is.

The apartment is burned to cover the bodies, "A Bohemian Barbeque" says Oleg, which calls in not only successful homicide detective Eddie Flemming (Robert De Niro), but Fire Marshal Jordy Warsaw (Edward Burns) to the scene.

Emil and Oleg get away, but while Emil obsesses with finding Daphne, Oleg obsesses about filming their "Trip to America", killings and all. He believes he is making the greatest movie ever. They begin to watch New York's hot and exploitive news show called "Top Story", anchored by shady newsman/reporter Robert Hawkins (played expertly by Kelsey Grammer).

These three men, Flemming, Warsaw, and Hawkins, become irresistible targets to Emil and Oleg, the two Eastern-European psychopaths believing that controlling and taunting these famous men will give them the recognition they desire.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but suffice to say that there is a brutal murder scene where Flemming showcases just how tough a cop he is, and Hawkins will reveal himself as slimiest snake in the media industry, and Emil will learn enough to know that insanity can set him free even if he is caught.

There is action from beginning to end in this movie, a tight and somewhat confusing plot at times, some great acting from both the stars and the supporting cast (including a great character played by David Alan Grier). There is seediness and wretchedness and hopelessness, and an ending that makes the film come together quite nicely. If you are ready for a little brutal cop action in your life, give 15 Minutes a try. Enjoy!

Hollywood has never satirized itself or the media quite so effectively as in "15 Minutes," a thriller which begins with a whimper and ends with a satisfying bang. Writer/director John Herzfeld's story of two men on a twisted journey to stardom, and the police and reporters who follow them, is an almost gripping reminder of just how bloated things can get once the media gets involved.

Vacationing Europeans Emil (Karel Roden) and Oleg (Oleg Taktarov) have come for a hefty sum of money, but when they arrive at the apartment of Emil's friend Milos, and discover the money gone, they kill Milos and his wife, all the while videotaping the murder with a stolen camcorder. The one witness to the crime flees, later falling into the hands of homicide detective Eddie Flemming (Robert de Niro), and arson investigator Jordy Warsaw (Edward Burns), who met at the scene of a fire set the make the murder appear as an accident.

Since we know the identity of the killers, we know this is not a mystery thriller. Instead, the movie becomes a touch more interesting by introducing the media and all its propaganda tools. Oleg has a fascination for movie-making, and Emil's growing interest for the way in which Americans easily get away with murder and make money from it send the two of them on a murder rampage that gets the attention they want and the promise of money they desire. Watching the news and tabloid shows only fuels their goals, as does the promise of a hefty sum of money from Top Story anchor Robert Hawkins (Kelsey Grammer), in exchange for their videotapes for his show.

A major key to making the issues this movie addresses work is a credible cast, something this film is never without. De Niro is cocky and witty as Eddie Flemming, the ideal inner-city cop, while Burns gives a unique performance as Jordy, who wants nothing more than to learn from Eddie the nuances of cracking a case. Grammer makes Hawkins an easily-contemptible character, while Roden and Taktarov fill their characters with fiendish insanity.

In the interest of keeping the rest of the film a surprise, I shall go no further into plot details. The beginning is somewhat slow, almost to the point of causing the audience to lose interest. It takes its share of unexpected turns, some predictable, others you never see coming. The early death of a major character sent me reeling in my chair, while a secondary fire set by the two "visionaries" is predictable in its outcome (you know the second major character will make it at least until the end).

But rather than pay too much attention to surprising us, "15 Minutes" is more concerned with giving us a rock-solid portrait of the circus that has become the media, and the evils that control it. Eddie sees his growing fame as a helping hand, but the film turns this fame against him, with chilling results. Hawkins is as despicable as reporters get, selling his soul to the devil for his share of the fame. Even Emil's lawyer, after his arrest, is more concerned with his share of the movie and book rights than he is about keeping the city safe from a dangerous felon.

Perhaps the most effective scene, that which sums up everything that the film is trying to say, comes with the early death of that major character. As the two hold him hostage in his apartment, Emil reveals his master plan, his concoction of portraying himself and Oleg incompetent to stand trial, protecting them from criminal charges so they can go on to sell their story to screenwriters and authors. This particular moment poses the audience the question of what is more twisted: Emil's insane plans, or the fact that everything in his plan happens everyday in trial across the country.

I enjoyed "15 Minutes" because I was able to connect with the issues it addressed, and the way in which it addressed them. The fact of the matter is, the movie is truthful in its portrayal of how the media can blow something way out of proportion, and then everyone wants something out of it. Halfway into the movie, a magazine vendor says, "It pays to be a killer in this country." Apparently so.

...a disappointment and major blow to the De Niro "can do no wrong" theory. The man is truly a legend and I still hold him in high regard but my god this film was bad.
It was suppose to reflect what America's love of violence is like - a condemning look, yet it didn't achieve it. Scene after scene of pointless violence soon made it hypocritical and the script was appalling.
De Niro just wasn't up to scratch, he's slumming it in this film and I resent him for it. I resent him because he is one of the few actors I choose to admire and trust his judgement of films thus forking out money to see them and then being let down by something like 15 Minutes.
I haven't lost faith though, as I said I still respect him. I just think of Taxi Driver, Goodfellas and Midnight Run and loads of other films and then remember why I like him.
De Niro fans - don't avoid this film see it by all means. It's a harsh reminder that he isn't perfect.

What seems like a good idea from the start, a satire of the way the media controls the public's perspective and influences our everyday lives, is made a routine shoot 'em up film devoid of any social commentary, no matter how hard it tries. 15 Minutes tries to be shocking and original, and I'll admit it has its' moments of brilliance, but fails in the long run to deliver anything substancial. Robert De Niro plays a celebrity cop in New York who is teamed up with an arson investigator played by Edward Burns. Both are on the trail of two foreign criminals who record their murder spree on a handheld video camera. There are some decent action scenes throughout, and De Niro and Burns try they're best to take they're roles with a grain of salt, but in the end 15 Minutes offers nothing special in anything and everything. The idea is intriguing, and I was genuinely shocked at some parts (anyone else who has seen the film knows the only part I am talking about that is truly shocking), but isn't delivered properly leading to an unrealistic climax and dumbed down ending. Kelsey Grammer also stars as a journalist who will do anything for a story, and look for David Allan Grier, Kim Catrall, and Charlize Theron in throwaway roles.

I'd rather see a flawed but thought-provoking movie than the safe, formulaic, average film any day of the week. 15 Minutes is that intriguing but flawed movie, a flim where it is clear the director went out on a limb but didn't quite make it work completely - and yet I couldn't stop watching this one. Basically, the movie centers on 2 immigrants, criminals who decide to exploit the American legal system to make a profit after going on a planned murder spree. Close on their heels (but not close enough) are Ed Burns as a firefighter/arson investigator and Robert De Niro as a media savvy cop. This is the plot premise in a nutshell but the most intriguing focus of the film is how it looks at the media and legal system in America, showing how both can be used, distorted and twisted to a criminal's advantage - even after he is arrested. In this case, the rules of double jeopardy (no one being able to be tried for the same crime twice) are manipulated as the criminals bargain with their lawyers, talk show hosts and more to get the best "deal" and make the most profit. An intriguing premise, even if the director doesn't quite make it as believable as it could be. There's also a twist in this movie, involving De Niro, which I won't reveal here. I urge you to see this one.

15 Minutes was a bit of a disappointment considering the makeup of the cast: Robert De Niro, Avery Brooks (Star Trek DS9's Commander Sisko), and Kelsey Grammer among others. The film brings to the screen the story of two Eastern Europeans who arrive in the US to pay a visit to an old acquaintance of theirs living in NYC. Things get more complicated when they soon realize that they can use the system to their advantage in order to carry out their sinister plans and get their "15 minutes" of fame.
In short, the acting is pretty good/above average (but nothing great), the plot is about average, while the dialogues are average and sometimes way below average; the common denominator being "average."

On the positive side, the film does shed light on such important current issues as the excessive amount of power, the often manipulative, media and lawyers have, not to mention that it acknowledges several loopholes in the American legal system; all of which being in desperate need of immediate attention.
Moreover, it was a pleasant surprise to see all those "guest appearances," (Charlize Theron, Kim Cattrall etc).
Furthermore, Noelle Evans was definitely "honey" and so were Vera Farmiga, and Irina Gasanova; Well Done!

On the negative side, the fireman (arson investigator) being completely useless became rather annoying rather quickly.
Moreover, the chase outside the hair salon was badly done, with both the police and the villains at the start of the scene with too short a distance between them i.e. realisticaly, the "bad guys" should have been caught with great ease!
Also, kidnapping the prime murder suspect from the midst of the police was a little far fetched!
In addition, it seems like the chemistry between Robert De Niro and Edward Burns is not all that great. To that, one has to add some poor dialogues and some bad choices of lines that the actors are given. The rest of the cast carry out their performances well.
Finally and most importantly, Eastern Europeans, especially Russians, are fast falling prey to those who would portray them as villains (if male) or prostitutes (if female), in part due to their being viewed as "easy" and "convenient" targets. This way one easily avoids the hassle from other more powerful and influential minorities that seem to be running the show lately.

In a nutshell, it's probably not a movie you would want to add to your collection, but it will provide for an evening's entertainment. 3½ Stars
No masterpiece here.

I am a huge Robert De Niro fan and when this came out I saw it because it had suspense and action, and Robert De Niro. But after seeing it, it got me thinking and I realized how this movie relayed a provocative message about how degrating our society is. This message was mostly portrayed by Kelsey Grammer's character. He went so far as to show real people being murdered on TV just to get ratings. And I'm sure there are TV broadcasters out there who would actually show that on TV too if they got the oppertunity. This is a great movie for action fans and for all people to be reminded just how pathetic people are sometimes.

If you didn't see this film in the theaters because you thought "Ehhh, looks very generic" you might want to give it a look on DVD. It is an original, innovative look at fame, the media, and ethics

The film follows Burns' arson investigator, and DeNiro's cop (both in characteristically fine performances), and their attempts to catch two eastern bloc travelers who find out that America is great because nobody is held responsible for their actions and even those who become criminals can be famous. Thus, they commit crimes on videotape and give the tape to Grammar's sleazy tabloid show host and plan on making money with movie deals they hope will be offered for their case. The ramifications of these actions are then explored.

This film really explores the aspects of one's "15 minutes" of fame in this modern world dominated by video and tabloid television. I thought I had never heard of writer/director John Herzfeld until I found in the disc's commentary that he directed the equally original "2 Days in the Valley." His use of the first person camera techniques of the criminals is in sharp contrast with the rest of the film and provides a solid realistic quality. Grammar's tabloid host is a smarmy character that he plays up quite nicely and it's nice to see him in an atypical role.The film is a nice blend of suspense thriller and story with an underlying message about the state media today. In th world where the line between the news media and tabloids has become blurred (think Gary Condit or OJ Simpson), this movie hits the tabloid phenomenon right on the money.

The DVD is really great too. It has a fantastic menu screen that mimics a CNN Headline newscast complete with stock ticker and everything. The deleted scenes are actually fairly good yet Herzfeld's explanations for cutting them make a lot of sense. The disc also contains two very interesting mini-documentaries, one on the format of tabloid television, and one a roundtable discussion of how crime can pay and create fodder for the media. A music video and fact tracks are also included amongst still other features. This marks the first time I've seen an Infinifilm DVD release, and I must say that it contains a very nice collection of features.

My recommendation is to take a look at this movie. It may surprise you as it did me. It didn't seem to get the audience it deserved in the theaters, but hopefully it will gain one on this fantastic DVD.

That was not an exaggeration. I loved the premise, and director John Herzfeld's short essay on the intentions of this film (included in the leaflet in the DVD case) was quite interesting. But his film is an incredibly sloppy vehicle for what he's trying to say.

My biggest problem is with the two villains. Can we say 'stereotypical Eurotrash'? A Czech tough guy with all the complexity of a G.I. Joe action figure and his Russian sidekick spouting bad cliches...I got tired watching these guys for 20 seconds, yet Herzfeld lovingly documents their shenanigans in excruciating detail in the first third of this movie. Both actors indulge in Gary Oldmanesque overkill and end up dragging down the entire movie. If Herzfeld's intention was to show the ludicrous nature of fame-seeking, he should have crafted real characters succumbing to the temptations of tabloid fame, not cardboard-cutout cliches with whom no sane person can identify. Robert De Niro looks barely awake, and it's only Edward Burns who brings a little bit of spark in his role as an arson investigator. Too bad these two characters combined make for about a quarter of the screen time in the opening of this film. The rest of the time, you suffer through the two villains going to an old friend to collect a debt, receiving escort services, stealing DV cameras...absolutely torturous viewing. And overuse of the handheld-video gimmick (shooting some scenes through the camera held by the Russian) means that the scenes irritate the eyes rather than exciting them. Herzfeld is not able to employ this device masterfully and expressively as in American Beauty or even Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.

Even 15 minutes of my life was too much to waste on this crap.

This movie lacked something -- believability. It's like it was trying to show how sleazy the media can be, which somehow made the film itself come across as being sleazy. The killers -- or the "actor" and the "director" (as they refer to themselves), come across as caricatures -- like Pinky and the Brain. They seem a little too [un believable], not hard edged enough. The big draw to this film is -- let's face it -- DeNiro, but he dies half way through the movie. Then, it's up to Ed Burns to carry the rest of the film. Ed Burns had done really well on some films ("The Brothers McMullen"), but filling a void left by DeNiro -- well, that's a tough one for anyone to fill. Burns' character is such a boyscout throughout the entire film, that any violence coming from him seems forced. Then there is the quasi-romance between him and Vera Farmiga's character, "Daphne Handlova," which was wasted. Here she is -- the sole eyewitness to original murders, who falls for Fire Marshall Bill (Ed Burns), and through out the whole movie, in the end, she's practically wanted more for being an illegal alien that for the information she holds. By the way -- how does a FIRE MARSHALL manage to keep himself so involved in a criminal case (especially after the only investigator that agreed to let him tag along is killed), in which the only fire that would even require his presence, takes place in the first five minutes of the film? I mean, this isn't "[other movie]," where there's a world of arson blowing up around us.

Overall, this film felt like a bad reality show. Too bad. The idea had potential.