15 Minutes
Encyclopedia
15 Minutes is a 2001 film starring Robert De Niro
, Edward Burns
and Karel Roden. It is about a homicide detective and a fire marshal who must stop a couple of Eastern European murderers from videotaping their killing and becoming sensationalized by the media. Melina Kanakaredes
and Kelsey Grammer
, both well-known for their TV performances, co-star. Its title is a reference to the famous Andy Warhol
quotation, "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes
."
) and Oleg Razgul (Oleg Taktarov
) travel to New York City
to meet a contact in order to claim their part of a bank heist in Russia (or somewhere in the Czech Republic). Within minutes of arriving, Oleg steals a video camera. They go to the brownstone apartment of their old partner Milos Karlova (Vladimir Mashkov
) and his wife Tamina, and demand their share. When Milos admits that he spent it, an enraged Emil stabs and kills him with a kitchen knife, then breaks Tamina's neck as Oleg tapes it with his new camera. The couple's neighbor, Daphne Handlova (Vera Farmiga
), witnesses everything, but she escapes before they can get to her. To cover up the crime, they douse the bodies in acetone
, carefully position them on the bed, and burn down the apartment, intending to pass it off as an accident.
Jordy Warsaw (Edward Burns
), an arson investigator, is called to the scene of the fire. NYPD detective Eddie Flemming (Robert De Niro
) is also called to the scene. Flemming is a high profile celebrity detective that he is followed around by the local tabloid TV show Top Story. Flemming and Warsaw decide to help each other out and work the case together. They eventually determine that Milos was stabbed so hard that the knife's tip broke off and lodged in his spine. While checking out the crowd outside, Warsaw spots Daphne trying to get his attention. When he finally gets to where she was, she is gone, but Warsaw manages to produce a sketch of the witness.
Emil, who got hold of Daphne's wallet when she fled the apartment earlier, realizes that Daphne is in the country illegally and will be deported if she calls the police. He contacts an escort service from a business card he found in Daphne's wallet (which she dropped while fleeing the scene). He asks for a Czech girl hoping she will arrive. When Honey, a regular call girl, arrives instead, he stabs and kills her, but not before getting the address of the escort service from her. Oleg tapes the entire murder. In fact, he tapes everything he can, trying to be the next Frank Capra
.
Flemming and Warsaw investigate her murder, determine the link to the fire, and also visit the escort service. Rose Heam (Charlize Theron
) runs the service and tells them that the girl they are looking for (Daphne) does not work for her but rather a local hairdresser, and she just told the same thing to a couple other guys that were asking the same questions. Flemming and Warsaw then rush to the hairdresser but get there just after Emil and Oleg warn the girl not to say anything to anyone. As Flemming puts Daphne into his squad car, he notices Oleg taping them from across the street. A foot chase begins culminating in Flemming's partner getting shot and his wallet stolen. Emil finds a card with Flemming's name and address in it. He gets very jealous of Flemming's celebrity status and is convinced that anyone in America can do whatever they want and get away with it.
On the night that Flemming is to propose to his girlfriend Nicolette Karas (Melina Kanakaredes
), Oleg and Emil sneak into his house and tape him to a chair. While Oleg is recording, Emil explains his plan - he will kill Flemming, then he will sell the tape to Top Story, and when he is arrested, he will plead insanity. After being committed to an insane asylum he will declare that he is actually sane. Because of double jeopardy
, he will get off, collecting the royalties from his books and movies. Flemming starts attacking them with his chair (while still taped to it) and almost gets them but Emil stabs and kills him.
The entire city is in mourning and Emil calls Robert Hawkins (Kelsey Grammer
), the host of Top Story, to tell him he has a tape of the killing and is willing to sell it. Robert pays him a million dollars for the tape. Warsaw and the entire police force are furious with Robert and can not believe he would air it, especially since his main reporter is Nicolette. At the same time, Emil and Oleg try to kill Warsaw and Daphne by booby-trapping Daphne's apartment. The two narrowly escape the resulting fire.
On the night it is aired Emil and Oleg sit in a Planet Hollywood
to watch it with the rest of the public. As the clip progresses, the customers react with horror at the brutality of it, and a few begin to notice Emil and
Oleg are right there with them, Oleg actually smiling at the results of his work, and panic takes place. The police come in and arrest Emil, while Oleg escapes. They put Emil in Warsaw's squad car but instead of taking him to the police station, Warsaw takes him to an abandoned warehouse where he is going to kill him. The police arrive just in time and take Emil away. Everything goes as planned as Emil is now a celebrity and is pleading insanity. His lawyer agrees to work for 30% of the royalties Emil will receive for his story. Meanwhile, Oleg is jealous of the notoriety that Emil is receiving.
While being led away with his lawyer and all the media, Warsaw gets into an argument with the lawyer while the Top Story crew is taping the whole thing. Oleg gives Hawkins the part of the tape where Emil explains his plan to Flemming, proving he was sane the whole time (Oleg presumably kept this part of the tape on hand as part of an "insurance policy"). Hawkins shouts out to Emil and explains to him the evidence he now has. Emil pushes a policeman down, takes his gun and shoots Oleg. Emil grabs Flemming's fiancée, who is covering the news story, and threatens to shoot her. He is finally cornered by the police and Warsaw. Against orders, Warsaw shoots Emil a dozen times in the chest. An officer shouts that Oleg is still alive, and Hawkins rushes to him to get footage just as Oleg says the final few words to his movie he is taping just before he dies (with the Statue of Liberty
in the background). Shortly afterward, Hawkins approaches Warsaw and tries to cultivate the same sort of arrangement he had with Flemming, suggesting the power an arrangement would give him. In response, Warsaw punches out Hawkins and leaves the scene as the police all smile with approval.
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
, Edward Burns
Edward Burns
Edward Fitzgerald Burns is an American actor, film producer, writer and director.-Early life:Burns was born in Woodside, Queens, New York, the son of Molly , a federal agency manager, and Edward J. Burns, a public relations spokesman and police officer. He was raised a Roman Catholic...
and Karel Roden. It is about a homicide detective and a fire marshal who must stop a couple of Eastern European murderers from videotaping their killing and becoming sensationalized by the media. Melina Kanakaredes
Melina Kanakaredes
Melina Eleni Kanakaredes Constantinides is an American actress. She is widely known for two starring roles on U.S. prime-time television drama series; playing Detective Stella Bonasera in CSI: NY and portraying Dr...
and Kelsey Grammer
Kelsey Grammer
Allen Kelsey Grammer is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier...
, both well-known for their TV performances, co-star. Its title is a reference to the famous Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
quotation, "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes
15 minutes of fame
15 minutes of fame is short-lived, often ephemeral, media publicity or celebrity of an individual or phenomenon. The expression was coined by Andy Warhol, who said in 1968 that "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes." The phenomenon is often used in reference to...
."
Plot
After getting out of prison, ex-convicts Emil Slovak (Karel RodenKarel Roden
Karel Roden is a Czech actor, known for his roles in Hellboy and The Bourne Supremacy.Roden's father and grandfather were also actors. After studying theatrical art in Prague he has played many roles in theatres and movies. First, he graduated school of ceramic, then he was admitted to the Academy...
) and Oleg Razgul (Oleg Taktarov
Oleg Taktarov
Oleg Nikolaevich Taktarov is a retired Russian mixed martial artist and actor. He is a practitioner of Sambo and Judo and has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Pride Fighting Championships. Taktarov was the UFC 6 tournament champion and holds notable wins over Marco Ruas and David...
) travel to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to meet a contact in order to claim their part of a bank heist in Russia (or somewhere in the Czech Republic). Within minutes of arriving, Oleg steals a video camera. They go to the brownstone apartment of their old partner Milos Karlova (Vladimir Mashkov
Vladimir Mashkov
Vladimir Lvovich Mashkov is a Russian actor best known to Western audiences for his work in the 2001 film Behind Enemy Lines. Mashkov has also worked as a film director, producer and writer for the 2004 Russian film "Papa".-Theatre work:...
) and his wife Tamina, and demand their share. When Milos admits that he spent it, an enraged Emil stabs and kills him with a kitchen knife, then breaks Tamina's neck as Oleg tapes it with his new camera. The couple's neighbor, Daphne Handlova (Vera Farmiga
Vera Farmiga
Vera Ann Farmiga is an American actress and director. Farmiga made her film debut in the 1998 drama thriller Return to Paradise. This was followed by supporting roles in the 2000 romantic film Autumn in New York and the 2001 television series UC: Undercover...
), witnesses everything, but she escapes before they can get to her. To cover up the crime, they douse the bodies in acetone
Acetone
Acetone is the organic compound with the formula 2CO, a colorless, mobile, flammable liquid, the simplest example of the ketones.Acetone is miscible with water and serves as an important solvent in its own right, typically as the solvent of choice for cleaning purposes in the laboratory...
, carefully position them on the bed, and burn down the apartment, intending to pass it off as an accident.
Jordy Warsaw (Edward Burns
Edward Burns
Edward Fitzgerald Burns is an American actor, film producer, writer and director.-Early life:Burns was born in Woodside, Queens, New York, the son of Molly , a federal agency manager, and Edward J. Burns, a public relations spokesman and police officer. He was raised a Roman Catholic...
), an arson investigator, is called to the scene of the fire. NYPD detective Eddie Flemming (Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
) is also called to the scene. Flemming is a high profile celebrity detective that he is followed around by the local tabloid TV show Top Story. Flemming and Warsaw decide to help each other out and work the case together. They eventually determine that Milos was stabbed so hard that the knife's tip broke off and lodged in his spine. While checking out the crowd outside, Warsaw spots Daphne trying to get his attention. When he finally gets to where she was, she is gone, but Warsaw manages to produce a sketch of the witness.
Emil, who got hold of Daphne's wallet when she fled the apartment earlier, realizes that Daphne is in the country illegally and will be deported if she calls the police. He contacts an escort service from a business card he found in Daphne's wallet (which she dropped while fleeing the scene). He asks for a Czech girl hoping she will arrive. When Honey, a regular call girl, arrives instead, he stabs and kills her, but not before getting the address of the escort service from her. Oleg tapes the entire murder. In fact, he tapes everything he can, trying to be the next Frank Capra
Frank Capra
Frank Russell Capra was a Sicilian-born American film director. He emigrated to the U.S. when he was six, and eventually became a creative force behind major award-winning films during the 1930s and 1940s...
.
Flemming and Warsaw investigate her murder, determine the link to the fire, and also visit the escort service. Rose Heam (Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron is a South African actress, film producer and former fashion model.She rose to fame in the late 1990s following her roles in 2 Days in the Valley, Mighty Joe Young, The Devil's Advocate and The Cider House Rules...
) runs the service and tells them that the girl they are looking for (Daphne) does not work for her but rather a local hairdresser, and she just told the same thing to a couple other guys that were asking the same questions. Flemming and Warsaw then rush to the hairdresser but get there just after Emil and Oleg warn the girl not to say anything to anyone. As Flemming puts Daphne into his squad car, he notices Oleg taping them from across the street. A foot chase begins culminating in Flemming's partner getting shot and his wallet stolen. Emil finds a card with Flemming's name and address in it. He gets very jealous of Flemming's celebrity status and is convinced that anyone in America can do whatever they want and get away with it.
On the night that Flemming is to propose to his girlfriend Nicolette Karas (Melina Kanakaredes
Melina Kanakaredes
Melina Eleni Kanakaredes Constantinides is an American actress. She is widely known for two starring roles on U.S. prime-time television drama series; playing Detective Stella Bonasera in CSI: NY and portraying Dr...
), Oleg and Emil sneak into his house and tape him to a chair. While Oleg is recording, Emil explains his plan - he will kill Flemming, then he will sell the tape to Top Story, and when he is arrested, he will plead insanity. After being committed to an insane asylum he will declare that he is actually sane. Because of double jeopardy
Double jeopardy
Double jeopardy is a procedural defense that forbids a defendant from being tried again on the same, or similar charges following a legitimate acquittal or conviction...
, he will get off, collecting the royalties from his books and movies. Flemming starts attacking them with his chair (while still taped to it) and almost gets them but Emil stabs and kills him.
The entire city is in mourning and Emil calls Robert Hawkins (Kelsey Grammer
Kelsey Grammer
Allen Kelsey Grammer is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier...
), the host of Top Story, to tell him he has a tape of the killing and is willing to sell it. Robert pays him a million dollars for the tape. Warsaw and the entire police force are furious with Robert and can not believe he would air it, especially since his main reporter is Nicolette. At the same time, Emil and Oleg try to kill Warsaw and Daphne by booby-trapping Daphne's apartment. The two narrowly escape the resulting fire.
On the night it is aired Emil and Oleg sit in a Planet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood, a restaurant inspired by the popular portrayal of Hollywood, was launched in New York on October 22, 1991, with the backing of Hollywood stars Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.-History:...
to watch it with the rest of the public. As the clip progresses, the customers react with horror at the brutality of it, and a few begin to notice Emil and
Oleg are right there with them, Oleg actually smiling at the results of his work, and panic takes place. The police come in and arrest Emil, while Oleg escapes. They put Emil in Warsaw's squad car but instead of taking him to the police station, Warsaw takes him to an abandoned warehouse where he is going to kill him. The police arrive just in time and take Emil away. Everything goes as planned as Emil is now a celebrity and is pleading insanity. His lawyer agrees to work for 30% of the royalties Emil will receive for his story. Meanwhile, Oleg is jealous of the notoriety that Emil is receiving.
While being led away with his lawyer and all the media, Warsaw gets into an argument with the lawyer while the Top Story crew is taping the whole thing. Oleg gives Hawkins the part of the tape where Emil explains his plan to Flemming, proving he was sane the whole time (Oleg presumably kept this part of the tape on hand as part of an "insurance policy"). Hawkins shouts out to Emil and explains to him the evidence he now has. Emil pushes a policeman down, takes his gun and shoots Oleg. Emil grabs Flemming's fiancée, who is covering the news story, and threatens to shoot her. He is finally cornered by the police and Warsaw. Against orders, Warsaw shoots Emil a dozen times in the chest. An officer shouts that Oleg is still alive, and Hawkins rushes to him to get footage just as Oleg says the final few words to his movie he is taping just before he dies (with the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
in the background). Shortly afterward, Hawkins approaches Warsaw and tries to cultivate the same sort of arrangement he had with Flemming, suggesting the power an arrangement would give him. In response, Warsaw punches out Hawkins and leaves the scene as the police all smile with approval.
Cast
- Robert De NiroRobert De NiroRobert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
as Det. Eddie Flemming - Edward BurnsEdward BurnsEdward Fitzgerald Burns is an American actor, film producer, writer and director.-Early life:Burns was born in Woodside, Queens, New York, the son of Molly , a federal agency manager, and Edward J. Burns, a public relations spokesman and police officer. He was raised a Roman Catholic...
as Fire Marshal Jordan Warsaw - Kelsey GrammerKelsey GrammerAllen Kelsey Grammer is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier...
as Robert Hawkins - Avery BrooksAvery BrooksAvery Franklin Brooks is an American actor, television director, jazz musician, opera singer and college professor. Brooks is perhaps best known for his television roles as Benjamin Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and as Hawk on Spenser: For Hire and its spinoff A Man Called Hawk, and in the...
as Det. Leon Jackson - Melina KanakaredesMelina KanakaredesMelina Eleni Kanakaredes Constantinides is an American actress. She is widely known for two starring roles on U.S. prime-time television drama series; playing Detective Stella Bonasera in CSI: NY and portraying Dr...
as Nicolette Karas - Karel RodenKarel RodenKarel Roden is a Czech actor, known for his roles in Hellboy and The Bourne Supremacy.Roden's father and grandfather were also actors. After studying theatrical art in Prague he has played many roles in theatres and movies. First, he graduated school of ceramic, then he was admitted to the Academy...
as Emil Slovák - Oleg TaktarovOleg TaktarovOleg Nikolaevich Taktarov is a retired Russian mixed martial artist and actor. He is a practitioner of Sambo and Judo and has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Pride Fighting Championships. Taktarov was the UFC 6 tournament champion and holds notable wins over Marco Ruas and David...
as Oleg Razgul - Vera FarmigaVera FarmigaVera Ann Farmiga is an American actress and director. Farmiga made her film debut in the 1998 drama thriller Return to Paradise. This was followed by supporting roles in the 2000 romantic film Autumn in New York and the 2001 television series UC: Undercover...
as Daphne Handlová - John DiRestaJohn DiRestaJohn DiResta is an American former New York Transit police officer turned comedian and television star.-Career:He was the title star of a short-lived UPN sitcom called DiResta from 1998-1999. He has appeared in several films, including Miss Congeniality and its sequel, Miss Congeniality 2: Armed...
as Bobby Korfin - James HandyJames HandyJames Handy is an American film actor. He appeared in more than eighty films and television serials between 1977 and 2011. He is best known for his appearance as Arthur Devlin in Alias and Lou Handleman in Profiler.-Selected filmography:...
as Deputy Chief Declan Duffy - Darius McCraryDarius McCraryDarius Creston McCrary is an American film and television actor and singer. He is perhaps best known for his role as Eddie Winslow on the ABC/CBS television sitcom Family Matters...
as Det. Tommy Cullen - Bruce CutlerBruce CutlerBruce Cutler is an American criminal defense lawyer known for defending organized-crime defendants, and for media appearances as an actor, a legal commentator, and a reality-show attorney....
as Himself - Charlize TheronCharlize TheronCharlize Theron is a South African actress, film producer and former fashion model.She rose to fame in the late 1990s following her roles in 2 Days in the Valley, Mighty Joe Young, The Devil's Advocate and The Cider House Rules...
as Rose Hearn - Kim CattrallKim CattrallKim Victoria Cattrall is an English actress. She is known for her role as Samantha Jones in the HBO comedy/romance series Sex and the City, and for her leading roles in the 1980s films Police Academy, Big Trouble in Little China, Mannequin, and Porky's...
as Cassandra - David Alan GrierDavid Alan GrierDavid Alan Grier , also known as "D.A.G." , is an American actor and comedian known for his work on the sketch comedy television show In Living Color.-Early life:...
as Mugger - Vladimir MashkovVladimir MashkovVladimir Lvovich Mashkov is a Russian actor best known to Western audiences for his work in the 2001 film Behind Enemy Lines. Mashkov has also worked as a film director, producer and writer for the 2004 Russian film "Papa".-Theatre work:...
as Milos Karlov - Irina Gasanova as Tamina Karlova
- Noelle Evans as Honey
- Gabriel CasseusGabriel CasseusGabriel Casseus is an African-American actor and screenwriter from Roosevelt, New York. He was nominated for Best Debut Performance in the film New Jersey Drive in the Independent Spirit Awards in 1995, and has appeared in the movies Get on the Bus, where he played Jamal, a Muslim enroute to the...
as Unique - Anton YelchinAnton YelchinAnton Viktorovich Yelchin is an American film and television actor. He began performing in the late 1990s, appearing in several television roles, as well as the Hollywood films Along Came a Spider and Hearts in Atlantis...
as Boy in Burning Building