'15 Minutes' Premieres

By Caitlin O'toole

05/07/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

"15 Minutes," the new John Herzfeld-directed satire-thriller starring Robert De Niro, Edward Burns and Kelsey Grammer, premiered in Century City, Calif., Thursday night, reports PEOPLE. Grammer, 46, who plays an anchorman in the film about a New York homicide detective (De Niro), who teams up with a New York Fire Department arson investigator (Edward Burns) to track down a pair of Eastern European killers on a rampage in New York City, said he hopes the film is thought-provoking. "Playing this guy was a thrill because he is shameless," he told PEOPLE. "He is without a sense of moral awareness. Totally myopic and driven and self-obsessed. And his whole focus is to get a great story. Doesn't matter if it's a true story. Actually, I think it's very accurate in its portrayal of the media. I hope it might make people think twice." Burns, 33, who recently became engaged to model Christy Turlington, added that the film illustrates the lengths some people will go to become successful. "Whenever there is big money involved, peoples' scruples are going to be a little off. I think it's indicative of human nature."