15 Minutes

REVIEW
De Niro and Burns make a decent team in this otherwise unsatisfying thriller/satire. De Niro is an alcoholic celebrity cop on the trail of two thrill-killing, East European immigrants (Roden, Taktarov); Burns is an arson investigator who gets caught up in the case. The weak satire comes into play when the villains decide to videotape their killings, plead insanity when caught, then make millions selling their story. 15 Minutes is a bit of a mess: as a thriller, it's far too unpleasant and lethargic, and as satire, it's at once obvious and confused. The reactionary ending would've been far more effective in an adolescent, Chuck Norris-type film; here, it just feels cheap and ugly, and erases any potency the subject matter might've had. Worth a glance if you're a fan of the leads; otherwise, a misfire.