|
Review by Dustin Putman
3 stars out of 4
In today's day and age, when it seems like a progressive amount of people are
committing extreme criminal acts in order to, at least in part, become famous
(i.e. last week's San Diego high school shooting), writer-director John
Herzfeld's "15 Minutes" stands as a timely, thoughtful motion picture. Taking
a satirical, if on-the-mark, look at the outrageous lengths some people will
go to get their fifteen minutes of fame (a term coined by Andy Warhol), as
well as their learned savviness thanks to the media around them, the film is
an intense, well-written thriller that, for once, has more of a purpose than
to simply entertain. It actually has a brain in its head, and a sharply
observed '70s-era sensibility that recalls such classic films as "The
Parallax View," "The French Connection," and "Dog Day Afternoon."
The second that the scummy Czech immigrant Emil (Karel Roden) and Russian
movie-lover Oleg (Oleg Taktarov) step foot into America, hell starts to break
loose. Equipped with a snazzy video camera that Oleg steals, he and Emil set
out on a precisely-planned, murderous rampage throughout Manhattan that
includes stabbings, beatings, shootings, and arson to anyone they feel like
doing it to. Their purpose is very simple: to commit enough murders to
catapult them to the top of every media outlet in the world, intentionally
get caught, plead that they were the subjects of physical abuse growing up,
get acquitted, and reap in loads of money on movie and book deals.
After a fatal building fire, arson investigator Jordy Warsaw (Edward Burns)
meets famed homicide detective Eddie Flemming (Robert De Niro), who has been
assigned to the case. They soon team up together to investigate the string of
killings that have begun to escalate in the city, with Eddie not knowing Oleg
and Emil already are familiar with his celebrity, and have plans of their own
for him.
Always involving and often exciting and downright unsettling, "15 Minutes" is
a bravura police/media drama that has been written and directed by John
Herzfeld (1996's "2 Days in the Valley") with a clear precision that offers
up more than the usual glossy, mainstream grab-bag of senseless action and
pointless violence. The picture is clever and knowing in its attitudes about
violence in the U.S., and the effects their outcome have on the criminals
themselves. It also has plot developments that, for once, are not easily
predicted (including a twist at the beginning of the second half that is
absolutely shocking), and the strengths of these, as well as the
thought-provoking material dealt with, are able to overcome many of the
weaknesses found in the uneven character development.
While Robert De Niro (2000's "Men of Honor") and Edward Burns (1998's "Saving
Private Ryan") both start off with a somewhat shaky, unfocused grasp on their
roles of Ed Flemming and Jordy Warsaw, respectively, they manage to
strengthen the evolution of both personalities by the film's latter half.
Burns, especially, starts off with a noticeable blandness, but somehow
transforms along the way to the conclusion into a striking, memorable
character.
The stars of the film, however, are Eastern European newcomers Karel Roden
and Oleg Taktarov, whose frightening, unhinged bad guys turn out to be the
center of the movie. Arresting every second they are onscreen, Roden and
Taktarov are utterly talented finds that will hopefully find more film work
based on what they have accomplished here.
In supporting roles, Melina Kanakaredes (TV's "Providence") shows much
promise as news reporter Nicolette Karas, who is also carrying on a romance
with Eddie. Nicolette is not given an overly generous amount of screen time,
but Kanakaredes makes the best of it, fleshing out her character into a
sympathetic, realistic individual. Kelsey Grammer is okay as tabloid show
anchor Robert Hawkins, successfully getting rid of his "Frasier" image, but
is so one-dimensional that he spends his time making little to no impression,
or going over-the-top. Meanwhile, Charlize Theron (2001's "Sweet November")
makes a splashy cameo as the black-wigged worker of an escort service.
What ultimately makes "15 Minutes" such a success is its willingness to try
novel techniques not seen in many years that throw the viewer off balance,
making them unsure, and sometimes even a bit nervous, of what is to come
next. Not only that, but it is one of those rare recent thrillers that
doesn't go the easy route, nor does it present a nonsensical and exploitative
storyline for mainstream mass consumption. "15 Minutes" actually has
something to say, and it says it remarkably well.
Copyright © 2001 Dustin Putman
|
