Written and Directed by:  John Herzfeld
Starring:  Robert De Niro, Edward Burns, Kelsey Grammar, Melina Kanakaredes
 

March 9, 2001

        What is it with Robert De Niro lately? He won his fame in the 70's and 80's for playing character roles. Don't get me wrong, he's one of my favorite actors. But has he sold out?
        Now he's using that fame for a big budget payday. Look at his last couple of films, Meet the Parents and Analyze This, both mediocre comedies that I guarantee he got a nice paycheck for. And what comes along with that, big budget garbage like John Herzfeld's new film 15 Minutes. 
        At least with Pacino's three hard edge cop roles--Serpico, Sea of Love, and Heat--each had distinct character traits, and each could be considered very different. De Niro plays a cop in this, in Mad Dog and Glory and in Flawless, and they all seem about the same. Sure, the plots of the films are different, but none of the roles are memorable. 
        There's so much fluff in this film, from over the top unnecessary violence, to sex, to death. And the whole time I'm asking myself questions, like why is a fire marshall (Ed Burns) carrying a gun and chasing down the bad guy? He works for the fire department!!!
        There's a lot of things in the script that don't make much sense. But like the film is trying to say, fame is the only thing that matters. You're not supposed to ask those questions because De Niro's in it, and it's a big budget film. Just sit back, relax, and don't use up those brain cells. Because Herzfeld sure didn't when he wrote the script.  I also liked the idea of murderers filming their crime a lot more when it was a cutting edge idea in Strange Days.

Recommended Alternatives:  Serpico, Sea of Love, Heat, She's the One (s: Burns), Taxi Driver (s: De Niro)