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15 Minutes

Play trailer Poster for 15 Minutes R 2001 2h 0m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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32% Tomatometer 123 Reviews 37% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
At the center of "15 Minutes" is a New York City double murder that must be solved. But the fast-paced story isn't so much about figuring out the truth of the murder, as following who controls that truth. This is the thriller as seen through an eye-popping new lens -- that of the media's hunt for shocking imagery, no matter the cost. In "15 Minutes," as the cops chase the murderers, the media chases the cops, and the whole thing fuels an escalating firestorm.
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15 Minutes

15 Minutes

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Critics Consensus

As critical as it is about sensationalism in the media, 15 Minutes itself indulges in lurid violence, and its satire is too heavy-handed to be effective.

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Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow Common Sense Media 08/26/2010
3/5
Exceptionally violent, intense DeNiro thriller. Go to Full Review
Desson Thomson Washington Post 03/09/2001
1/5
Herzfeld's a secondhand-meister, simply regenerating themes, styles and a story line that we've all seen -- and tired of -- somewhere before. Go to Full Review
Stephen Hunter Washington Post 03/09/2001
2/5
The movie is nothing if not ambitious. The movie is nothing if not overdone. The movie is also, well, pretty much ... nothing. Go to Full Review
Kaleem Aftab The List 04/16/2019
3/5
An interesting, not to say timely, twist on Andy Warhol's fifteen minutes of fame theory. Unfortunately, the execution of the thrills doesn't live up to the film's conceit. Go to Full Review
A.S. Hamrah In These Times 01/29/2019
It's pretty clear it's the audience who the filmmakers think are the sheeps here. Go to Full Review
Nick Rogers Midwest Film Journal 09/25/2010
0/4
Alley flasher, pubescent paperboy, toy with a broken squeaker. Edward Burns sounds like those things, but plays none of them here. He's fire marshal Jordy Warsaw. That sounds like a Pauly Shore character; Shore would arguably act with greater conviction. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Weston L 12/14/2024 An underrated gem of the early 2000s. I particularly liked the villains, two agents of chaos even to themselves. De Niro is good as always so is Kelsey Grammar, in a fun and worthy character for him. Edward Burns steals the show with intensity and flair. Don't let the tomato score fool you this is a fun film with a theme the is far more relevant now than it was when it was made. See more Test T @TestTest1 09/03/2024 I watched this on DVD recently. There were a couple of things in this movie from 2001 which I really liked. Firstly, even though I was watching a DVD the quality of the images was excellent. The lighting is perfect, making the indoor and night-time scenes crisp, clear and detailed throughout. The daytime scenes look amazing too, and I was particularly impressed by the quality and realism of the street chases, which made me feel like I was actually there. The character development is also excellent, and I found myself quickly connected with all of the main characters. Robert De Niro's performance oozes charisma in nearly every scene, and was a joy to watch. I thought the story was good, and very well executed, maintaining my full attention right to the end. Sadly, the nature of the story raises public contravercy, and in this regard I think the film takes it's self far too seriously. There are even two documentaries included on the DVD which explore these issues. This social commentary is leading to poor critical reviews, which I think is very unfair given how exciting and entertaining the film is. In summary, I think viewer needs to focus on the film for what it actually delivers, and for that I can highly recommend it. See more FilmGamer 01/23/2024 Possibly a hidden masterpiece. This is one of those films written and directed by one person that would be generic if not made at such a specific time. This is the largest-scope film I've seen that's closest to pre-9/11. There is a good twist and good commentary, the ending is a bit rushed but it's a crazy film that crams in media commentary mixed with the American dream. Fun stuff in a fluffy package that gets pretty dark at times. See more DMC M 01/22/2024 I watched this on a flight recently and OMG - talk about rotten! I have never seen a movie so poorly done. Incredibly violent and far fetched with a ridiculous storyline. Bazar casting too. Why does Robert De Niro do these shitty movies? See more 12/17/2020 Started off good, but (SPOILER) De Niro's character dies halfway into the movie, which not only badly hurt the film and afterwards kinda got boring, but also falsely advertises this as a De Niro film and is more of Edward Burns' movie. It had a good story and good acting, but if De Niro didn't die, it would of been SO much better. See more 11/15/2020 I think the film works well enough as a satire in the world of media, murder and comedy, completely underrated. See more Read all reviews
15 Minutes

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Movie Info

Synopsis At the center of "15 Minutes" is a New York City double murder that must be solved. But the fast-paced story isn't so much about figuring out the truth of the murder, as following who controls that truth. This is the thriller as seen through an eye-popping new lens -- that of the media's hunt for shocking imagery, no matter the cost. In "15 Minutes," as the cops chase the murderers, the media chases the cops, and the whole thing fuels an escalating firestorm.
Director
John Herzfeld
Producer
Nick Wechsler, Keith Addis, David Blocker, John Herzfeld
Screenwriter
John Herzfeld
Distributor
New Line Cinema
Production Co
Industry Entertainment, New Line Cinema, Tribeca Productions, New Redemption, Katira Productions GmbH & Co. KG
Rating
R
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
Czech
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 9, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$24.4M
Runtime
2h 0m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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