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| 15 Minutes |
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  (6/10)
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Runtime: 121 |
| Public Rating: 6.43 (23 votes) |
Director: John Herzfeld |
MPAA Rating:  |
| Genre: Action/Thriller |
Year: 2001 |
| Writer(s): John Herzfeld |
| Distributor: 1 |
| Reviewed by: Scott S. |
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Two men from Russia and the Czech republic, Emil (Karel Rodin) and Oleg (Oleg Taktarov) have come to New York City in search of money owed to them. But these men aren’t your typical Disney Land Tourists. They plan to do a lot more than just sigh-see, so Oleg steals a camcorder to videotape their exploits, with his first masterpiece showing the murder a former business partner and his wife by his friend, Emil. This new rush gives them the drive to see how powerful they really are, and how much their recordings are worth. They begin to sell their tapes to a greedy newscaster Robert Hawkings (Kelsey Grammer) who knows he will get top ratings for showing these films on his "reality news" type broadcast where his tag line is, "Don't believe? Watch!"
On the case are arson investigator Jordy Warsaw (Edward Burns) and famed homicide detective Eddie Flemming (Robert DeNiro). They team up to track down the two killers by following their rampage of brutal killings, and of course from the clues captured on tape.
"15 minutes" is a unique movie in a sense that you become personal with both the cat and the mouse. It is divided into two segments. First, we follow the criminals. They are a hilarious duo who act like little children when in the big city of New York for the first time. Despite the fact that they brutally murder prostitutes and their friends throughout the movie, you can’t help but to root for them while they get a long like kids, sometimes fighting over the stupidest things. Then, we follow the detectives, who also have internal relationship problems.
Although there is an upbeat side to "15 minutes" most of it is pretty intense, as the death scenes are often violent, vulgar, and explicit. Most directors wouldn't allow the audience to see so much, but John Herzfeld welcomes you to it . There are a few suspenseful and creepy parts to keep you entertained. One particular scene that comes to mind is when the young cop and a girl are trapped in a burning building and struggle to get out. Loud sound effects and good visuals keep the pace flowing.
DeNiro is a great as usual, and the lesser known villain cast does a good job too. 15 minutes isn’t the most realistic movie, but you can’t look too deep into it if you’re going to enjoy it. There is a message put out in the effort to make you ask what lengths people will go to get money and exposure.
The real bad guy in this movie aren't the killers, it's Robert Hawkings, played by the not so lovable Kelsey Grammar. He will pay anything for these films and actually broadcasts them over the air, which displays for all downtown New York to see on the Time Square monitors. Would a broadcaster ever display such horrifying images on the big screen? No, but like I said, you can't look too deep into this movie.
"15 minutes" ends with a bang in a comical fashion. It may not make you think, but it’s a decent action flick and something for DeNiro fans.
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