Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Excellent adaptation.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

In Manhattan, Eddie Fleming (Robert De Niro) is a well-known detective on the police force. He courts the press to shadow him at times and he views his minor fame as helpful to his job solving crimes. Nevertheless, his near constant media exposure is disturbing. Meanwhile, a top fire investigator, Jordy Warsaw (Edward Burns) prefers a low profile as he solves important arson cases. One fateful day, two immigrants, Oleg and Emil from Eastern Europe arrive at JFK. Although the one tells the airport's immigration officer that he came to "make movies like Frank Capra", that is not their main reason for their journey. They are criminals, newly released from prison, and are tracking down a former partner who made off with their part of the dough. All too soon, they find him and his wife in an old Lower East Side apartment building. The money has been spent on establishing a plumbing business. Oleg, the more out of control perp, brutally murders both of them, while Emil films it with a stolen camera. After the crime, they set the building on fire. This brings in both Eddie and Jordy, whose work habits clash. Yet, they soon join forces to stop the two evil ones and protect a witness, Daphne (Vera Farmiga) who saw the murder from her apartment doorway across the hall. All the while, a sleazy television show producer (Kelsey Grammar) wants to get the whole case on his second rate program, Top Story. How many folks will lose their lives before Oleg and Emil can be stopped? This VERY VIOLENT film has an intriguing story. There is indeed a fine line between a crime and excessive media coverage of a crime. More murders probably do get solved if the public is aware of its happening. Also, Burns is a most attractive, talented performer while De Niro can handle any role, anytime with great skill. With Farmiga, Charlize Theron, Grammar, Melina Kanakeredes and others on board, the cast is wonderful. But, a STRONG CAUTION to potential viewers. The violence in this film is horrific, when it happens, and there was truly no need for its excessive nature. Sometimes, its mitigated by special features the criminals' video camera has to distort the picture. But, not always. If there was not a great cast and a strong story line to consider, I would definitely not encourage ANYONE to view it. As it is, watch at your own discretion and use the fast forward button a lot. If its still too much for your mind to handle, just turn it off. Some movies have a good message but loses it in a cloud of objectionable material.

15 MINUTES is an acceptable modern-day crime thriller that takes time out to satirise the media and take a look at people's penchant for their '15 minutes of fame' which if everything is even more prevalent than it was fifteen years ago when this film was made. Although it features a headlining role for Robert De Niro, given his limited screen time he often feels like a supporting player in his own movie, with the hard-working Edward Burns as the main lead.The scene-stealing roles are given to Karel Roden and Oleg Taktarov, who excel as a pair of East European immigrants who arrive in New York and begin a crime spree. The story as it unfolds is resolutely gruesome and fitfully exciting, with some great set-pieces to enjoy, particularly a fiery one towards the climax. The casting director has done well to bring of interesting performers in, including the likes of Avery Brooks and Vera Farmiga, while Kelsey Grammar seems born to play the weaselly tabloid reporter.

There is a ton I was offended by watching this preach-a-minute, vapid attempt at an intelligent action/political film. Here are the main things, lest I begin to ramble:1. Ethnocentric World View - This is supposed to be an indictment of American media? Message movies that play to cultural stereotypes drive me crazy. These two Eastern European thugs come to America, watch a show about forgiveness, and decide that they're going to teach America a lesson by embarking on a murderous rampage? If this was made a few years later it would have been two Muslim men instead of Russian. This is terrible, mainly because the writer is trying to present these lofty ideas about humanity and the immorality of American media, all the time while playing to cultural stereotypes that do nothing but reinforce racism. The low-brow stereotypes don't stop there either, David Alan Grier has a cute part where he is an angry black guy in the park who tried to rob the wrong guy. His relevance to the plot? Nothing but to add a little touch of humor ... seriously? 2. Hypocrisy - This film was distributed by New Line Home Video, an 'indie' subsidiary of Warner Bros. Super progressive Warner Bros. who are major players in the empire 15 Minutes is coming out against. Why would Warner Bros, or New Line, put out a movie that could incite a revolution and cause millions of people to reevaluate the way they watch media? Well, Bobby De Niro's in it, so you know it's good for at least breaking even ... plus the movie is no good, so no one will really talk about it.The real crime, however, and the major reason I believe it didn't work, it that it is just so incredibly smug. There are other 'message' movies that exist that all fall into the same pitfalls as I discussed above, but 15 Minutes is so smug and pretentious about it's message that it falls flat.Rating: 16/40

The hook that New Line Cinema is using to draw people into "15 Minutes" is that people are addicted to sensationalistic violence, and as one character puts it, "If it bleeds, it leads." The draw here is that there are two psychopaths who are using this known fact to bring themselves fame by documenting the gruesome murders that they commit and selling them to the media. While this is true, the social satire of the film is really only visible during the beginning and at the end. The bulk of the film is a standard order police procedural, but it's still engaging.Two immigrants, Emil (Karel Roden) and Oleg (Oleg Taktarov) have come to the United States to collect their share of a bank robbery they committed. When their cohort had spent their share of the loot, Emil kills him and the guy's girlfriend, while Oleg captures it on the camera he just stole. It doesn't take long before they realize the potential of filming their violent crimes. Hot on their trail are an alcoholic cop named Eddie Fleming (Robert DeNiro), who is the famed "pet" of tabloid guru Robert Hawkins (Kelsey Grammar, and arson investigator Jody Warsaw (Edward Burns).The film is a mixed bag. There are some good things about this film, and there are some that are awful. I'll give it credit for taking some chances and going in unexpected directions, but it also has some moments of jaw-dropping stupidity. And while there's some genuine tension in the film and the premise is interesting, I felt a little let down. Not only isn't the social satire original, it's not even effectively wedded into the main story. Also, I felt betrayed by the advertising of this film; I was expecting a cat-and-mouse type thriller between the cops and the criminals, and the media who is exploiting it. However, seeing as writer/director John Herzfeld wasn't trying to go for this angle (at least I hope not...), I can't really blame the film for this, just the studio.The acting is adequate. Eddie is a role that Robert DeNiro could do in his sleep. It doesn't require to stretch his range, but then again, DeNiro is still highly enjoyable to watch when he's not really trying, so it doesn't matter. Edward Burns seems a little out of his element, but his performance isn't a complete bust. The villains are the stars of the show. If you want a frighteningly psychopathic Russian villain, they don't come any better than Karl Roden. Emil is one nasty piece of work whose logic to his plan is frighteningly plausible. His counterpart, Oleg Takratov, isn't as smart and too starry-eyed by fame to be as dangerous as Emil, but he's not everything he seems to be. The part of Richard Hawkins deserves to be played in an over-the-top manner (is there any other way to play a Jerry Springer/Geraldo Rivera clone?), but Grammar doesn't go far enough to be truly vile, though I liked the fact that he gave Hawkins a small dose of humanity (whethere it was genuine or not is up for debate). Small parts by Melina Kanakaredes (who is wasted as Eddie's girlfriend), Vera Farmiga, and Charlize Theron (in a blink and you'll miss it appearance) are great.This isn't an especially bad film, but I don't know if there's enough good stuff to outweigh the bad.