15 Minutes

Somewhere between a buddy-cop potboiler and a blunted, commercialized Natural Born Killers lies this slick, violent thriller with an acerbic statement to make about media sensationalism. 15 Minutes stars Robert De Niro as a hard-drinking celebrity cop and Edward Burns as a bristly arson investigator, teamed up to stop a pair of Eastern European criminals who have hit New York in pursuit of fame by videotaping a killing spree and selling the tape to tabloid TV. Yes, the plot screams "gimmick!" and writer-director John Herzfeld (2 Days in the Valley) lays it on implausibly thick at times. But the performances are strong and the film is seasoned with heavy dollops of the director's sardonic, ironic humor. Overly self-indulgent and not nearly as clever and cogent as it wants to be, this is still a strong optional purchase. (R. Blackwelder)