15 Minutes takes a hard look at America and our legal system with gripping, action packed fun that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Many sensitive subjects that have plagued the system are touched upon, including insanity pleas, televised executions, and double jeopardy. The movie is shocking and at times extremely unpredictable.

The film centers on two criminals, one Russian and the other Czechoslovakian (played by Karel Roden and Oleg Taktarov), who have come to America to retrieve money that is owed to them. One is out for blood and the other, after hearing that in America someone can make their own movie and sell it for a million dollars, is fascinated with movies,. Robert DeNiro plays a decorated cop who teams up with Edward Burns, a fire marshal, to catch these two criminals, who tape their own crimes. Burns' character, Jordy Warsaw, exists for the sake of our empathy; we feel his disgust and rage for the American legal system. We also want the same thing he does: justice. Kelsey Grammar plays a repulsive news anchor, out for the exclusive story, and does he ever get his exclusive!

When we view the killings through the camera lens, as the men create their movie o' death, the audience experiences a truly surreal feeling. The colors change with different body temperatures and add to the illusion.

I must note that the graphic scenes only add to the effect that the director, John Herzfeld, is trying to achieve. Just be ready to be angered by the fact that we live in a country that allows such practices to exist and thrive. This movie is definitely one to make you think, leaving the theater with questions swarming in your mind, and is certainly one you will enjoy.