Leonard Maltin's 151 Best Movies You've Never Seen - Maltin, Leonard [26]
Any one of these people might merit a documentary study, at least in short-subject form. What do they have in common that warrants juxtaposing (and intercutting) their stories as a feature-length movie? That is the elusive quality that makes this film so intriguing. (I feel certain that Morris was inspired by the robot scientist’s quote, “If you analyze it too much, life becomes almost meaningless.”) As it progresses, the pace of intercutting between the subjects accelerates and we begin to see the film as a kind of cinematic fugue—a comparison only enhanced by the driving, melancholy (and quite beautiful) music score by Caleb Sampson.
Some movies can’t, and shouldn’t, be described: they should be experienced. Fast, Cheap & Out of Control is a quintessential example.
For the record, it won Best Documentary award from the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Society of Film Critics, and was given the Truer Than Fiction prize at the Independent Spirit Awards.
35. 15 MINUTES
(2001)
Directed by John Herzfeld
Screenplay by John Herzfeld
Actors:
ROBERT DE NIRO
EDWARD BURNS
KELSEY GRAMMER
AVERY BROOKS
MELINA KANAKAREDES
KAREL RODEN
OLEG TAKTAROV
VERA FARMIGA
JOHN DIRESTA
CHARLIZE THERON
KIM CATTRALL
DARIUS MCCRARY
DAVID ALAN GRIER
JAMES HANDY
One of the challenges of being a critic is that sometimes you find yourself swimming against the tide, cheering for a movie that no one else seems to like. That’s what tests your mettle. I really like 15 Minutes; I find it exciting, original, highly charged entertainment with a sharp point of view and a terrific cast. But I’m almost alone in my opinion.
What didn’t other critics like about it? They said it’s farfetched: I don’t think it’s trying to be realistic. They said it’s heavy-handed: I think the filmmaker is responding to the outlandishness of his chosen targets. They said it takes itself too seriously: I think they missed the point.
The overall subject is the media, and everyone’s desire to have their fabled fifteen minutes of fame. In this case, the people who shoot for that goal are amoral, violent criminals who learn how to work the system to their advantage—even the legal system in a country where they’ve just arrived.
Robert De Niro plays a New York City detective who has a habit of making headlines, and frankly, he likes it. In fact, he often gives tips to Kelsey Grammer, the host of a scandalous TV show called Top Story—and Grammer is a little too hungry for the kind of eyebrow-raising fodder that makes his show a hit.
Then along come two foreigners—Karel Roden as Emil and Oleg Taktarov as Oleg—from Eastern Europe, who plan to rob, murder, pillage, and document themselves doing it on video, then sell the evidence to Top Story. They’re greedy for notoriety and they have no shame about it because they realize that in America, celebrity is its own reward and the legal system can be manipulated.
There are other story threads involving fire inspector Edward Burns and TV reporter Melina Kanakaredes, who’s in love with De Niro. The screenplay covers a lot of ground but gives each of its characters a fair shake. Charlize Theron turns up in a tiny role as a favor to the director, who gave her her first break in his debut picture, 2 Days in the Valley.
John Herzfeld wrote and directed this (literally) explosive film, which seldom stops to take a breath and features incredible action set pieces filmed all around the city. 15 Minutes is in your face from the word go and it’s clear that Herzfeld is swinging for the fences. Does it bear scrutiny after the fact? Not according to its critics. But it takes you on a hell of a ride.
36. FIND ME GUILTY
(2006)
Directed by Sidney Lumet
Screenplay by T. J. Mancini,
Robert J. McCrea, Sidney Lumet
Actors:
VIN DIESEL
PETER DINKLAGE
LINUS ROACHE
RON SILVER
ALEX ROCCO
ANNABELLA SCIORRA