"15 Minutes "

A movie with a message is what "15 Minutes" is all about. The nice thing is that it does'nt bang you over the head with the message, the movie is not preachy.

The film is about how in America you can become a star very quickly by being a criminal, you can make money off of working the judicial system and you can be a star. Robert DeNiro plays a hot shot police detective who gets teamed up with the fire marshal and arson expert Edward Burns. The two make a good team because they don't feel like the old buddy cop duo with one straight laced guy and one wacked out of his mind. They work together well and also have enough acting chops to control the screen when they are apart.

The two villains who are played by Karel Roden and Oleg Taktarov of Ultimate Fighting Championship fame bring a freshness to being the bad guys. The learn how to control situations by watching Jerry Springer type talk shows and a tabloid television show called "Top Story".

Kelsey Grammer plays the anchor of the show and is a pseudo-villain. He personifies what the message of the film is. One of his quotes is "..If it Bleeds, it Leads.." There are many surprises throughout the movie and it goes down familiar ground but then swerves, it also goes places that you are not at all prepared for. There is humor, action, and some strong violence.

The direction is well done and the story doesn't sputter out at the end, it keeps up its identity through it all. In a day where most movies find it hard to be interesting for 15 minutes, "15 Minutes" keeps you entertained the whole time.