No doubt many of us have heard Andy Warhol's assertion that everyone will be famous for a quarter of an hour: a person commits some heinous crime and gets his face all over the cover of every major newspaper and on the nightly news, but then disappears into the annals of history. So, the movie "15 Minutes" plays off of this idea. It portrays a Russian and a Czech coming to New York to deal with a man who owes them money, but then find something even better: they murder people and videotape their delicts. Needless to say, the media is only too happy to make hay of it.

Now for the movie's aspect that I didn't like. I am getting a little tired of movies making Russians (and in this case, also Czechs) the bad guys. I know that geopolitics was dominated for over forty years by the Cold War, but aren't we through portraying Slavic people as villains? I spent autumn, 2005, in St. Petersburg, where I lived with a local family (and I enjoyed it there very much); I then spent autumn, 2006, in Yekaterinburg, where I lived with a local family (I enjoyed it there very much). So I don't care if we get a little unnerved by anything that Vladimir Putin says (you gotta admit that Bush's plans to stick missiles in Poland and the Czech Republic is gonna scare people there); we should treat Russia as our friend.

But anyway, it's otherwise a really good movie. Starring Robert DeNiro, Edward Burns, Kelsey Grammar and Kim Cattrall.

Tabloid TV host Robert Hawkins (Kelsey Grammar) rides along with his drunken friend Detective Eddie Flemming (Robert De Niro). Arson investigator Jordy Warsaw (Edward Burns) uncovers two people murdered in a deliberate fire. He finds witness Daphne Handlova (Vera Farmiga). They follow the crime spree by two eastern European criminals who become enamored with their new American media world.

The movie seems to be trying to make a point about tabloid journalism. The problem is that it's so heavy-handed and fake. The performances are broad and the characters are cliché. The jabs are not sharp. It's almost a satire except people get brutally murdered and it's not funny. Any compelling points are shouted down by the characters. The criminal duo could be in a violent comedy. The pairing of De Niro and Burns could be a dynamic cop duo. There are some good possibilities but there is simply so much of everything.

In Manhattan, Eddie Fleming (Robert De Niro) is a well-known detective on the police force. He courts the press to shadow him at times and he views his minor fame as helpful to his job solving crimes. Nevertheless, his near constant media exposure is disturbing. Meanwhile, a top fire investigator, Jordy Warsaw (Edward Burns) prefers a low profile as he solves important arson cases. One fateful day, two immigrants, Oleg and Emil from Eastern Europe arrive at JFK. Although the one tells the airport's immigration officer that he came to "make movies like Frank Capra", that is not their main reason for their journey. They are criminals, newly released from prison, and are tracking down a former partner who made off with their part of the dough. All too soon, they find him and his wife in an old Lower East Side apartment building. The money has been spent on establishing a plumbing business. Oleg, the more out of control perp, brutally murders both of them, while Emil films it with a stolen camera. After the crime, they set the building on fire. This brings in both Eddie and Jordy, whose work habits clash. Yet, they soon join forces to stop the two evil ones and protect a witness, Daphne (Vera Farmiga) who saw the murder from her apartment doorway across the hall. All the while, a sleazy television show producer (Kelsey Grammar) wants to get the whole case on his second rate program, Top Story. How many folks will lose their lives before Oleg and Emil can be stopped? This VERY VIOLENT film has an intriguing story. There is indeed a fine line between a crime and excessive media coverage of a crime. More murders probably do get solved if the public is aware of its happening. Also, Burns is a most attractive, talented performer while De Niro can handle any role, anytime with great skill. With Farmiga, Charlize Theron, Grammar, Melina Kanakeredes and others on board, the cast is wonderful. But, a STRONG CAUTION to potential viewers. The violence in this film is horrific, when it happens, and there was truly no need for its excessive nature. Sometimes, its mitigated by special features the criminals' video camera has to distort the picture. But, not always. If there was not a great cast and a strong story line to consider, I would definitely not encourage ANYONE to view it. As it is, watch at your own discretion and use the fast forward button a lot. If its still too much for your mind to handle, just turn it off. Some movies have a good message but loses it in a cloud of objectionable material.