Five Minutes of Heaven

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.

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.

Acting kind of movie. It tells the story of two Belfasters who meet 33 years after one of them killed the brother of the other, during the Troubles. Flawless movie.

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

Low budget drama with stellar performances by Liam Neeson and especially James Nesbitt.

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

Top badass moment? I can't say, because it would spoil the ending if you haven't seen it. If you have seen it then you'll know what I mean. 0 cats and 0 decapitations.

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

James Nesbitt proved to be a great artist. The script seems a bit weak at the end. The criminal keeps his dominant position and the act of forgiveness, the only way out, lacks.

10 minutes in I was expecting this to be yet another kitchen sink drama set in 70s Northern Ireland, but it quickly turns into a much more powerful character piece between the two leads. The conclusion feels a little underwhelming and inconclusive, but I feel this mirrors the actual events of the peace process where decades later the 2 sides have never really reconciled in any meaningful way.

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.

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

"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

Very good,

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.

Hirschbiegel gives us something more than we may have bargained for. Its subject may be specialized but its ideas are all-inclusive, about real people affected by real circumstances and experiences that resonate through their identities long after. The frugality of the script and its neo-realist push through the birth canal provide an acute, intent film that eventually dishes out a finely drawn and restrained ending, an uneasy reminder that there's no more relentless assailant than the past.

Great performances by Neeson, and especially Nesbitt in this bit part from Northern Ireland's struggles. However, it is this backdrop that provides too much clutter for what could have been a splendid confrontation tale. Clocking in at 89 minutes, the first 20 are spent giving a back story that really has no bearing on how these two men grow to live with their demons.