Good idea... but outcome was a bit disappointing...

"Spread out over 33 years and framed almost entirely in three crucial, tension-filled scenes, Oliver Hirschbiegel's Five Minutes of Heaven dissects the intersection of two men's lives in the aftermath of wartime and sectarian conflict." - Adam Keleman

A bit too slow-paced, but a good performance from Neeson.

James Nesbitts' mesmorizing performance alongside Liam Nelson makes for emotional and very tense watching in this story of reconciliation.

The story is a little simple and also unbalanced between past and present. Yet, despite its faults, this film strikes like a dagger. It is so potent because intensity of the characters' positions and the genuine display of emotion demonstrated by these two men. Without that stab of realism and humanity conducted by Hirschbiegel's steady hand, the ending might have felt predictable and unsatisfying. Even if not that memorable or lasting, still a great film.

Interesting story with huge emotional potential. But it doesn't really pay off in the end, when the two men finally confront each other. That scene may be a bit too subtle or too superficial, I really can't decide right now... Liam Neeson is good, while James Nesbitt is great...

For Hirschbiegel this is a somewhat return to form after The Invasion, though still far from the beauty of Der Untergang. Nesbitt goes once again over the top, and the voice-over was a dumb idea from the start. Still the story is effective and the ending appropriate.

An opening act shows flare in what turns to be a decent movie that will be best served as a rental. What raises the bar are impressive performances from both Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt.

Surprisingly made-for-TV script, surprisingly cinematic execution. Neeson is as always good, Nesbitt ups the ante and is amazing. Gives a good view of what goes through the mind of a person in such a conflict, and is clearly not only a callback to the Ireland situation but also immensely relevant today (in, say, the Middle-East), a paralell the movie does everything but draw up for you. Worth watching for the fantastic character portrayals alone even if the pace is a bit sludgy.

"A damn good film, one that trades in harsh, dark material, but never loses sight of the true nature of humanity."