Five Minutes Of Heaven Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt are teaming up to tackle the Northern Ireland Troubles in "Five Minutes of Heaven." The film tells the story of two men wracked by the violence that plagued Northern Ireland from the late 1960s through to the peace process in 1998, and how they attempt to come to terms with the Troubles' aftermath.
| Liam Neeson | Alistair Little |
| James Nesbitt | Joe Griffen |
| Mark Davison | Young Alistair |
| Gerry Doherty | Joe's Dad |
| Richard Dormer | Michael |
| Paul Garret | Alistair's Dad |
| Jonathan Harden | David |
| Gerard Jordan | Jim |
| Paul Kennedy | Sound recordist |
| Conor MacNeill | Dave |
| Mathew McElhinney | Stuart |
| Barry McEvoy | Joe's Chauffeur |
| Ryan McParland | Passer By |
| Diarmuid Noyes | Andy |
| Richard Orr | Alistair's Chauffeur |
| Oliver Hirschbiegel |
6.90 out of 10 (3136 votes)
Visitor Reviews
A Must See
posted on 02 Aug 2009Two of Northern Ireland's finest appear in this outstanding look at the after-effects of the Troubles, written by the superb Guy Hibbert.How refreshing to see that a Hollywood A-list actor, Liam Neeson, hasn't forgotten where he came from and what was happening on his doorstep when he was growing up. James Nesbitt continues to prove that he can perform with the best of them (see also his performance in "Occupation").It's a shame that BBC2 decided to shift "Five Minutes.." around in it's schedule at the last minute, because this very important film deserves a much wider audience.I really don't want to say too much about the content of this film because I believe that you need to view it 'clean' of spoilers so that you can fully appreciate it. If you have any interest in the the history of Northern Ireland, "Five Minutes of Heaven" is another to add to the list that should hopefully include "Omagh" and "Bloody Sunday".
An excellent piece of work all round but especially from James Nesbit
posted on 31 Jul 2009For those of us in the UK that had O D'd on James Nesbit (he was on everything at one stage) and therefore may not have given this a chance because of him, I would strongly recommend you do. He is absolutely brilliant in this piece. I could really believe he was that boy who's life was all but ruined. The hurt, anger, confusion, despair of the situation is portrayed amazingly by him.I am really impressed by his talent and I now hope to see more of him in the future.The whole film is excellent, I was completely wrapped up in it. The tension when the two characters almost meet is incredible.Liam Neeson,is also wonderful and you feel for his character too.I can't recommend this highly enough. Congratulations to all concerned in it's making and I recommend you see it.
My five minutes of heaven, how can that not be good for me ?
posted on 31 Jul 2009An estimated 3720 people were killed as a result of the conflict in Northern Ireland.This film is a fiction inspired by two men who bear the legacy of one of those killings.......That is the opening salvo from the makers of Five Minutes of Heaven, I would personally like to add, since no other reviewer here has said it thus far, that the two protagonists never met in real life.Five Minutes of Heaven was first screened at the Sundance festival in 2009 and won awards for Directing {Oliver Hirschbiegel} and for screen writing {Guy Hibbert}. It stars Liam Neeson as Alistair Little and James Nesbitt as Joe Griffen. The story is about how a young wannabe hero of the Ulster Volunteer Force {Little} gunned down the brother of Joe Griffen {Nesbitt}, purely because he was of Catholic religion, all witnessed by young soccer ball kicking Joe out on the pavement in front of the Griffen house. After the build up and execution of the crime, we forward to the future after Little has served 12 years prison for the murder, and here we now have a television company led meeting between the two after the Good Friday Peace Agreement.It's only now that the film really kicks in as a powerful piece that has something to say. Too many third rate productions caricature their characters in films involving the British/Irish troubles, but the makers here are keen to avoid that-hence the appearance of Neeson, who wouldn't have come cheap one feels. Both Nesbitt {ranking along side George Best as most talented thing to come out of Northern Ireland} and Neeson then shift gears to ram home the point of the story. This is about forgiveness, pertinent questions about if that is possible under the most trying of circumstances. Would you be able to move on, and at what cost?. Both sides of the coin are deftly rubbed by Hirschbiegel and his terrific cast.It would be stupid of me to not say the piece has problems since it clearly isn't perfect. Both sides of the families involved are not formed at all, and that is a very big misstep. A victim of course of the TV movie production value and the sadly inept running time afforded it. But that annoyance aside in the context of the final product.....well it works out rather well I feel. There's some smart points of reference in there, note the young Little handling his gun amongst a sea of childhood toys, and there's a dolly out shot involving a church that nails that particular scene poignantly. But really, as is normally the way in this type of production, it lives or dies by its ending, and if the actors involved can actually carry it off?.We are OK here, we got Nesbitt and Neeson, point made, acted accordingly, yep, see this if you can. 8/10
Intense
posted on 21 Jul 2009This is an excellent (fictional) drama centered around just one of many single acts of mindless violence, and its aftermath during the notorious "troubles" of Northern Ireland. Alistair Little at aged just seventeen feels he is ready to make his first 'kill' for the UVF, a "loyalist" paramilitary group. In the small town of Lurgan, the sectarian divide does not mean that people are not aware of others on the other side. Little and his three equally young companions may not be friendly with their given target, but they do 'know' him...but he is a Catholic and that is all that matters. The killing is witnessed by the victim's 11 yr. old brother Joe Giffen. The story moves ahead 30 years or so, Little (Liam Neeson) is to meet Giffen (James Nesbitt) for a TV show purportedly about 'reconciliation.' Nesbitt gets the most screen time and gives a highly charged performance as the super-tense Giffen prepares to meet his brother's killer. Giffen has a slightly one-dimensional view of how things have panned out over the past 30 years. He has been stuck for the most part in a tedious factory job. Little, though having served 12 years in prison now gives talks about conflict and the burden of being a killer. In Giffen's perception, Little is living it large, spouting platitudes for fat pay cheques while enjoying classy hotels and associated 'luxuries' - in short Giffen believes Little enjoys a 'rock star' lifestyle on the back of a callous murder. The TV crew located in a grand country house for this interview, ooze insincerity just as Nesbitt oozes tension. "It's all about you" they claim when really we know they just want a dramatic TV showdown. We soon learn that Giffen has nothing in mind but vengeance, he is carrying a nasty looking knife and surely intends to murder the apparently calm and measured Little, on TV if needs be. It is the introduction of Vika, a lowly runner for the TV crew who begins to throw a spanner in the works. In this grand location, the balcony is the only place anyone can smoke, both Joe Giffen and Vika take this opportunity and her empathetic/sympathetic words begin to eat into Giffen. She has (albeit briefly) met Little and visited his flat "it is not a home" "he is a broken man" are things that shatter Giffen's preconceived ideas and things he does not want to hear. He wants to kills a gloating monster not a "broken man." After Giffen refuses to take part in the interview we begin to hear a bit more of Little's side of the story. Neeson is also very good and is convincing as a man who genuinely regrets his past but tries to explain it without justifying it. The drama does not end here but I will. Watch it for yourself, it is an intense, unglamourous indictment of terrorism which is not only pertinent to NI.
small scales study of "the troubles" in northern ireland
posted on 15 Jul 2009Oliver Hirschbiegel, director of contemporary German classics The Experiment(2001) and Downfall (2004) turns his attention to the troubles in Northern Ireland. Liam Neeson is cast as a former UVF member who carried out an assassination on James Nesbitts brother. The pair are about to meet for the first time since the murder, Hirschbiegel ratchets up the tension to an almost unbearable level for the first three quarters of the film. The change of pace after the television interview sequence allows the film to play out as a reconciliation peace for both leads characters. Due to its short running time it never feels overlong. Neeson delivers his best performance in years Nesbitt is also quite impressive.
Ultimately flawed
posted on 01 Jul 2009This is a drama concerned more with the medias preoccupations than with the conflict or people involved.The fictional main characters reduce the real people behind them to caricatures seen many times before, for example in the 1985 'No Surrender'. The imposition of characters such as the immigrant runner are totally unnecessary and cheapen the production to the point of propaganda. Singling out the immigrant member of the production team involved in monetizing victimhood, as some angelic, innocent, arbiter is silly. The depiction of the victims brother as a knife wielding neurotic juxtaposed with a suave, righteous, murderer was equally hamfisted. Its almost as if the writer is reinforcing, rather than criticizing the idea that victims have no means to express their rage until the media gifts them a forum. Some of the accusatory dialogue against the medias laziness and cyphers (catholic v protestant etc.) when misrepresenting the conflict was fruitful but given the hype, an overall disappointing effort.
The damage lasts.
posted on 05 Jun 2009Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt give performances with depth, and I almost suspect real feelings within themselves - on the basis of "there but for the grace, etc., could I have gone".It's tough going, and the search for redemption / revenge must be a common feeling in what I still believe is a blighted land. It might be spoiler to say that it's not that certain that resolution was found in the end.The media circus surrounding the first half just highlights the exploitative characteristics of the modern media, nothing more. But as "Jakeh" said the best character in this circus was Anamaria Marinca (Vika)who had enough personal/ethnic experience to know a possible outcome, and enough judgment to let the situation play itself out.My condolences to Liam Neeson on his tragic loss.
A very good film, I enjoyed it and it tells a story that needs to be told
posted on 16 May 2009Its probably pertinent I mention that I'd watch Liam Neeson reading the phone book - and walk away content. Having said that this is a story that needs to be told. People delude themselves if they think the formal end of a conflict ends the collateral damage thats a product of conflict.The two primary characters are very engaging; The emotion expressed and the reasons for it are carefully and sympathetically explained. There is a gentleness to the story amid the unforgiving violence. In no other historical or fictional portrayal have I heard so simply but properly explained why people got involved in violence in the six counties of Ireland.I found it "cute" to hear Neeson speaking in his own accent for once.
The Troubles Unbound and Rebound
posted on 24 Apr 2009In the period, in the early twenty-first century, just after Blair and Clinton had been seen to drag the Northern Ireland peace process back on track, Blair released several prisoners as part of the Good Friday agreement.Men who had killed for and against both the protestant loyalist and Catholic republican sides of NI's divide were released, leaving a bittersweet taste in the mouths of supporters for peace. The ensuing years saw a trend for TV specials, seating families of victims with the men who had killed their loved ones - a notable example being that of Michael Ryan's ill-fated quest for televisual forgiveness.In 'Five Minutes of Heaven', James Nesbitt plays the younger brother of a man murdered by Neeson's loyalist 'Alistair Little'. The centrepiece of the film is the preparation of a face to face meeting, the first, between victim's relative and murderer, staged by a TV channel at a country retreat.Instantly the injustices are laid bare. Men like the character Neeson portrays may never receive true forgiveness, yet has been educated and has meditated in prison to the point that this would be apotheosis. In contrast, Nesbitt's character has long nursed his wrath, a working man with no access to the mind-broadening utilities of prison. He is there to hurt, even kill 'Little', but ultimately escapes the TV crew and avoids it.Neeson, in the end, stages a near 'High Noon' style meeting on Nesbitt's home turf, climaxing in a cathartic and achingly defeatist brawl in a bombed out house."Moving on" seems to be the only moral, as easy and as difficult as that is, while the disparity between physical and emotional prisons and the inescapable conclusion that all involved receive sentences as a result of crimes is apposite.A sobering and powerful exploration of scarred psyches.
The film that could help to end terrorism
posted on 16 Apr 2009Tonight I saw one of the best films I've seen in years. You might have to search for this one to find it, because it's probably not going to show up in your local multiplex, but if you can find it, you're in for a moving experience."Five Minutes Of Heaven" won the Directing award for Oliver Hirschbiegel and the World Cinema Screen writing Award for Guy Hibbert at the most recent Sundance Film Festival, and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. That, and the fact that Liam Neeson is in it, were the reasons I decided to watch it. I didn't even know what it was about.It's about violence, and how violence shatters lives, and about how the shattering does not stop when the violence stops. Set in Northern Ireland, it is nothing more, nor less, than the meeting, 25 years later, between the man (Neeson) who in his youth murdered a Catholic for nothing more than being Catholic, and the murdered man's brother (portrayed so powerfully as to bring the audience I saw it with to tears more than once by James Nesbitt). As a child, he watched his brother murdered, and then was blamed by his own mother for killing him because he did nothing to stop it. He was nine.Both men are shattered, 25 years later. One is seeking redemption and resolution by meeting the brother of the man he killed, and the other is seeking only revenge. I cannot spoil the film for anyone by saying more. All I can say is that this film would bring the Dalai Lama to tears, or Yasser Arafat. It's that powerful, and that well done.This is the film that young people whose culture is pushing them into terrorism should be shown, before it's too late for them. And this is the film that those who feel no compassion for the terrorists should be shown, before it's too late for them, too.
Truth and Reconciliation
posted on 08 Apr 2009Oliver Hirschbiegel is slowly carving himself a niche as a political filmmaker. After giving Nazism a human face in Der Untergang, he tackles the IRA and the difficulties of reconciliation between Catholics and Protestants.Liam Neeson plays Alistair Little, former member of the Ulster Volunteer Force. As a young man he killed a Catholic and become famous amongst his people, but also haunted by the image of the victim's brother looking at him as he made his kill.James Nesbitt plays Joe Griffen, the brother of the victim, who grows up tormented because his mother blamed him for not having done anything to save his brother.Decades after the fact, these two men are invited to meet in a TV show to discuss truth and reconciliation. Little goes to exorcise his ghosts; Griffen goes to kill him and get his 'five minutes of heaven'.For a ninety-minute movie, there are a lot of ideas in this movie. Besides raising questions like whether it's possible for enemies to come together, it also displays the media exploitation of grief and misery, and how society can be kinder to a criminal who shows regret than to a victim that lives all his life with his feelings bottled up.However the movie is no masterpiece. In spite of the stellar performances by the leading men, the resolution of their life-long conflict is ridiculously (perhaps insultingly) done through a brawl. Also not enough time is given to develop their lives: we see so little of who and what they are in their day to day existence.Nevertheless the movie has many strong parts, especially the first sequence set in 1975, as see the slow build-up of the murder. It's fascinating to watch all four killers starting the day and preparing themselves, as they go through fear and excitement. Many of these young men wanted to kill someone just to prove they were men, and one can't help feeling sorry for their illusions. Furthermore, the victims were people they knew and spoke to, making the whole conflict ridiculous. It's disturbing how people can be killed for so little.As a reconstruction of the way life was in Ireland in the '70s, this is a fine movie. As an exploration of reconciliation, it was a noble but failed attempt. This should not keep people from watching it.
Excellent look at how the past shapes our present and how we must move on. Enlightening, entertaining and very moving
posted on 06 Apr 2009Fact based fictional account about the meeting of two men, one who killed the brother of the other as part of the sectarian violence in Northern Ireland. The meeting, arranged by a television network, is suppose to illustrate how people are coming together, however for the two men the event is something else. Where it goes and how it goes is not what you expect, it wasn't what I expected. Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt as the two men are excellent. Neeson as the shooter looking for absolution, but never saying it, is a quiet tower of seeming strength while underneath he's bubbling with uncertainty.Nesbitt is all nervous twitches and ticks. He's very funny in his refusal to deal with the man who he saw killed his brother. He is haunted by the need to take revenge even though he wants never to have to do so. I thought his character and performance were amusing and wrong for a portion of the film until I suddenly understood it was right on target and perfectly done. This is a unique and very real look at how we deal with the wrongs we have done and had done to ourselves. By the time the film had ended I found myself moved several times, probably more so in that the film doesn't punctuate each moment with swelling music or dramatic flourishes. This is a film where the small moments move you, something as simple as a smile makes you weepy. I recommend this film highly. Its not the best film ever made but it neatly gets its point across in such away that you are forced to reflect and perhaps change. Certainly its better than the self serving big budgeted Hollywood films like Crossing Over where issues are addressed but don't seem connected to reality. See this film it will entertain and enlighten
Heaven raises heavy questions about forgiveness
posted on 03 Feb 2009Can truth and reconciliation be achieved with the man who killed a loved one? That's the question put forth in "Five Minutes of Heaven," a character-driven, suspenseful film with two extremely powerful performances from Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt.It begins in Northern Ireland, 1975. A teenage Alistair Little tires of Protestants being killed in the streets, and so joins the Ulster Volunteer Force determined to gain the respect of his brothers by killing a Catholic. James Griffin becomes his victim, while little brother Joe Griffin looks on in horror. It's a gut-wrenching scene as Joe watches his brother gunned down, locks eyes with Alistair, then sees James bleed to death. Not only is Joe traumatized by the event, but he carries a deep resentment that his mother blamed him for not doing anything to save James."Heaven," directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel ("Downfall") and written by Guy Hibbert, focuses on young boys needing to be men. Alistair marvels at the power of holding a gun, without understanding the weight that comes with it. And Joe is constantly blamed for inaction, but what could a young boy have done? He intends to remedy that later during a meeting, set-up by the media, that unites him with Alistair. Joe, played as an adult by Nesbitt, anxiously rehearses the things he wants to say. He not only wants to relay the hurt, the disappointment in the lack of Alistair's punishment, but also to hear Alistair remove the blame that his mother put on him. He even wants to know if Alistair remembers the little things about that night, like the pictures that hung on the wall, cause Joe remembers everything.Alistair, played by Neeson, is changed. He served twelve years for robbery and came out a voice for urging other young men that killing is wrong. He is confronted with the reality of his atrocities on a daily basis and he hates himself for them. It doesn't matter to Joe though. He spits at the idea of having to shake Alistair's hand, to reconcile, and then watch Alistair go on his merry way, forgiven. What's done is done. Revenge is key and even Alistair knows it.The TV crew setting up around where the men will make their connection adds another dimension to the film. Only looking to make good television, the constant annoyance of the cameras, where technical mishaps happen that demand re-takes, only serve to hammer home that this is the most sacred of meetings. Watching Joe walk down the stairs to meet Alistair for the first time, only to have to do it again cause of tech-failure, are angering.Neeson and Nesbitt are fantastic. Neeson shows the mental anguish Alistair has gone through for his atrocities but also the acceptance that he must do this meeting with Joe. And Nesbitt is an anxious ball of anger. Watching him rant about what Alistair did to him and the lack of punishment for that act is heartbreaking and pummeling in its level of rage. A counterpoint later on when he hears from a runner on the TV set that Alistair is now a sad, broken down man leads to an interesting reaction from Joe as well."Heaven" never loses track of these men as they grapple with the difficulties of forgiveness (as does the audience) and never hits a false note in showing what they go through. You anxiously wait for them to finally meet and when they do the suspense is very real. This movie is, above all, a human story with an important meaning in our terrorism-around-the-globe-world.
Compelling film and a must see
posted on 03 Feb 2009Just viewed this tonight and thought it was really an excellent commentary on the difficulty of forgiveness, the helplessness of letting go, and, of course, how hate and regret can meet and be resolved (many times with misgivings and myopic single mindedness). It is said that forgiveness (whether of oneself or another) is the hardest endeavor a human being can face. This film brilliantly portrays the anguish of two men, one who hates and can't forgive another, and one who regrets and can't forgive himself. The brevity of the film (121 minutes) and the abrupt ending belies the volumes of emotion that permeate almost every scene. The movie is both compelling and enjoyable while also being very disturbing.A part not to be overlooked is played by Anamaria Marinca (Vika), a 'gopher' for the film crew. Her character added quite a bit of depth to the film. Neeson and Nesbitt should both be recognized for their riveting performances.In most films today the focus is on revenge, blood, and murder. "Five Minutes.." includes these vices but, contrary to the blood and gore in many movies today, this film's focal points are, indeed, letting go, finding your life and living it, focusing on what means most to you, demolishing the demons that haunt you, and, most importantly, discovering that elusive human effort which leads to forgiveness. It's hard...very hard, and most of us can't bring ourselves to that end because forgiveness is many times viewed by society as weakness when it is, in actuality, strength.
Great but flawed by writer's deviation from the truth
posted on 24 Jan 2009I really think that the writer made a mess of this story. Just as background I ought to explain that this story is based in part on fact. In 1975 Alistair Little murdered Jimmy Griffin in front of Jimmy's little brother Joe. The writers takes this as his starting point and then hypothesises a current day meeting between the two characters, Alistair and Joe played by Nesson and Nesbitt.The opening segment of the film set in the 70's are brilliant. For someone like me who grew up in the UK in the 80's it really brought home to me the horror of what went on in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. Young men incited to murdered each other with absolutely cold brutality just because they were a different religion.Then the film skips forward to the present day and the problems start.Firstly, both these men must have gone through years of torture over what they experienced. We as viewers see almost none of that torture other than what we see in the faces and hear from the mouths of the characters in the present day. This is a movie, not a play, the writer should be showing us their pain.Also, we see almost no context around their current lives. Nothing around how they spend their days, where they work, who they hang out with, what they do for fun. All these little details are so important in a film like this. They're important for understanding and empathising with the characters.My biggest criticism is that this very serious story is ultimately reduced to a run-of-the-mill movie fist fight. It's tacky. It demeans the subject matter which it's treating. If Joe Griffin really told the writer that this would have been his reaction then they should have cast someone different to Nesbitt.Having said all this I'd recommend everyone to see it. It's quite affecting despite its flaws.
Painfully brilliant
posted on 24 Jan 2009An excruciating depiction of the agony of conscience, portrayed poignantly by the two main actors. The film is not by any means a pleasant experience, but the very fact that it IS an experience is evidence of how greatly it can affect the viewer. Do not seek easy answers to the great problems of the human condition here - apart, that is, from the crucial lesson that group identities can be vehicles of great evil, and that once inside the group, the only criticism the group-member can hear is that which comes from within the group itself (hence, for example, the need for Muslims to denounce terrorism from inside the mosques) - but if you're interested in understanding the powerful forces of spiritual and emotional dynamics in the context of an irreconcilable dilemma, and if you're sick of saccharine-sweet PC superficiality, send the kids out of the room, turn off the lights, and let this masterpiece move you.
Truth And Reconciliation?
posted on 30 Aug 2009This is a simple enough story but it is powerfully told, especially given the excellent performances of Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt. Liam's character killed James' character (Joe Griffen's) when Joe was a child. Joe witnessed the incident, just standing there. As a result Joe's mother always blamed him for not doing anything. Over thirty years later. they agree to meet on camera to talk. Joe is still emotionally scarred from this and vows to kill his brother's murderer, in what was then a time in Northern Ireland when "the troubles" were particularly evident. This is a psychological drama, and, as stated, the two main actors are wonderful. You can see on their face what is on their mind. I applaud what is a fairly straightforward telling of such a still controversial and divisive topic. This movie's goal is not to change the world, but give you a window into a still open wound. On that mark, it succeeds admirably.