I still read, rate and comment but rarely write on here.
I still read, rate and comment but rarely write on here.
Member since:26.04.2001
Reviews:115
Members who trust:53
Introduction ~~
I was attracted to 15 minutes because of the presence of Robert De Niro, he has starred in some of the best films ever made and there were high expectations for his appearance in 15 minutes.
15 Minutes is not your typical action film – it is not merely made up of tough-talking cops, rapid gunfire and big explosions. Unlike many action films it is totally unpredictable and with a twist in the tale you will be kept guessing on the final outcome of the film right until the end. The story is also remarkably clever and in many ways you could describe 15 Minutes as being a satire.
The Story ~~
Robert De Niro plays Eddie Flemming, a cigar smoking famous New York cop, “It’s all about the image” he brags taking a drag on his fat cigar and a swig of whiskey then walking over smiling to give a interview on the latest murder case to hit New York. Media-savvy Flemming is still a fairly likeable character, he’s tough on the bad guys and isn’t afraid to bend the rules, so despite his habits to spend too much time giving interviews and not enough time catching criminals he’s still the good guy of the film.
Emil Slovak played by Karel
Roden and Oleg Razkul played by Olek Taktarov arrive in New York from Eastern Europe looking for a man who owes them money. After just making it through immigration at New York airport after several tense questions they soon discover that the money owed to them cannot be paid. Emil has a bloody encounter with the man who owes or should I say owed money to him. Oleg is an aspiring filmmaker and after stealing a video camera captures the bloody encounter on film. The problem though is not that Oleg would let the film get into the wrong hands but that Daphne Handlova (VERA FARMIGA), an illegal immigrant witnessed the bloody encounter.
Emil is the cleverer of the two, Emil just carries on with his life commits a murder here and there whilst Oleg films every single bit of it. I say Emil is the cleverer of the two, he knows that everything Oleg has filmed would be worth big bucks. Ruthless American television channels would pay millions for it; okay he would end up in jail. But with a bit of luck and an expensive lawyer he could get off as being declared insane by the authorities and then live his days out in a cosy little country home whilst Hollywood studios pay big bucks to him to make films of his crimes. Well that’s the idea but one thing stands in the way of Emil and Oleg’s evil little plan. Jordy Warsaw.
Jordy Warsaw is the opposite of the media-savvy Eddie Flemming; he’s an arson investigator who doesn’t know a thing about press relations. He tags along with Eddie for a while and they become a team and become very close to nailing Emil and Oleg. So close however that Emil and Oleg see them as a threat and the relationship of Jordy and Eddie changes, as does the status of their team.
Cast ~~
Robert De Niro pleases as expected and gives a polished performance and is very well suited to the character of homicide detective Eddie Flemming. Edward Burns is good as Jordy Warsaw and he adds depth to the cast of 15 Minutes. Fraiser star Kelsey Grammer has a fairly big part in 15 Minutes and his performance is excellent. In the past I had only seen Grammer in Fraiser and 15 Minutes is proof that he can play very different roles incredibly well. Grammer’s character in 15 Minutes is not so nice though – he stars as Robert Hawkins, he’s the man at the big American TV channel that would pay big bucks for a videotape of murders. Karel Roden and Oleg Razkul – are the bad guys, they give pretty bland performances but are well suited to the bad guy Eastern European role in 15 Minutes. In the film Karel Roden is a Czech and Oleg Razkul is a Russian in the film, though as far as most viewers are concerned they’re Russian.
The DVD ~~
I wouldn’t say its worth buying this on DVD or buying it on video in fact, I’d only say its worth renting but if you’re a real fan of the film there are some nice little goodies on the DVD version of this. Firstly you have commentary of the film by John Hertzfield, which is very informative and gives you an idea on how the film was made. There is also the usual deleted scenes and why they were taken out, though most of them should have been kept in the film in my opinion. The biggest attraction to the DVD version of this though is the two documentaries on the film. The first one is a discussion with TV hosts Jerry Springer, Sally Jesse Raphael, Maury Povich and Geraldo Rivera and they discuss aspects of tabloid journalism that are particularly relevant to the film. The other documentary on the DVD is “Does Crime really Pay?” and it studies real life cases that correspond with the film and includes discussions of the criminal mind. A music video and a trailer are also included on the DVD. I would say the features on the DVD of 15 Minutes are really good and if you rent this out rent the DVD out if you have a DVD player.
Overall ~~
Overall 15 Minutes is a pretty good film and well worth renting out, its nothing ground-breaking and is not particularly worthy of an Oscar but is merely a good film to pass a couple of hours on a boring evening.
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Fifteen Minutespartners Robert De Niro andSaving Private Ryan's Edward Burns in a thriller ... more
satire on America's "reality TV" industry. De Niro plays celebrity detective Eddie Fleming, who must reluctantly work with arson investigator Jordy Warsaw (Burns...
Postage & Packaging: £1.24 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Fifteen Minutespartners Robert De Niro andSaving Private Ryan's Edward Burns in a thriller ... more
satire on America's "reality TV" industry. De Niro plays celebrity detective Eddie Fleming, who must reluctantly work with arson investigator Jordy Warsaw (Burns...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Some people will kill for their 15 minutes. Now two of New York's finest must stop the ... more
media madness. Seasoned celebrity homicide detective Eddie Fleming (Robert DeNiro) teams up with young arson investigator Jordy Warsaw (Edward Burns) to hunt down ...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Some people will kill for their 15 minutes!! now, two of New York's finest must stop the ... more
madness.A seasoned homicide detective (Robert DeNiro) teams up with a young arson investigator (Edward Burns) to hunt down headline-hungry killers who dare to vide...
Advantages: Intersting subject areas. Nudity and violence (if that is your thing). Reasonable acting performances Disadvantages: no subtlety, strange character developments. Weak script, unbelievable. Poor ending
Advantages: Action, Action, Action. Disadvantages: What if you want more from a movie than superficial action? Sadly this doesn't offer a great deal more.
![15 Minutes [DVD] [2001]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78542725.jpg "15 Minutes [DVD] [2001]")
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