It’s a rare film that manages to stay with the viewer for days after seeing it. Five Minutes of Heaven is just such a film. A tense, taut drama directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, it tells a familiar tale in a remarkably personal way, allowing it to hit home with astounding strength.
The film focuses on “Alistair” (Liam Neeson) and “Joe” (James Nesbitt), two men who grew up on opposite sides of Northern Ireland’s political divide. When Alistair was a teenager, he killed Joe’s brother in an act of anti-Catholic violence. Twenty-five years later, the two men meet again, with one seeking repentance and the other craving revenge.
Hirschbiegel certainly isn’t the first director to explore the conflict in Northern Ireland, but he does it so beautifully that the lack of originality hardly matters. He and screenwriter Guy Hibbert are masters of pacing, keeping us engrossed in the story at all times – even when it’s so deeply troubling that we want to look away. What’s more, it’s a visual masterpiece, with each shot delicately arranged for maximum impact without feeling over-choreographed.
Of course, the film simply wouldn’t be what it is without its lead actors. Neeson plays Alistair with cold, quiet energy, conveying tremendous emotion through the subtlest expressions. He contrasts marvelously with Nesbitt, who conveys his character’s pain with almost manic intensity, as well as a sharp humor that prevents the performance from becoming overwrought.
Five Minutes of Heaven is a stunning work of cinema. With the help of Neeson and Nesbitt, Hirschbiegel takes a historical story and brings it into the present with power and truth.
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