FROM THE DIRECTOR OF "DOWNFALL" AND THE WRITER OF "OMAGH" Written by BAFTA Award winning screenwriter Guy Hibbert (Omagh; No Child Of Mine) and directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel (The Invasion; Downfall), who received the Directing Award at this year's Sundance Film Festival for his work on the film, Five Minutes Of Heaven stars Liam Neeson (Taken; Batman Begins), James Nesbitt (Murphy's Law) and Niamh Cusack (Heartbeat) in a story inspired by two extraordinary lives, which explores the impact of the legacy of violence on two men and the challenges of coming to terms with Northern Ireland's troubled past. In 1975, 17-year-old Alistair Little, a new and inexperienced member of the Ulster Volunteer Force, fired three shots through the downstairs window of a house in Lurgan County Armagh. The bullets killed 19-year-old Catholic, James Griffin, as he sat watching television in his living room. The murder was witnessed by James' 11–year-old brother, Joe, who had been playing football outside the house at the time of the shooting. Little eventually spent 12 years in prison for his crime, but for Joe the justice he yearned for was never realised. Five Minutes Of Heaven presents the dramatized facts of the story, before imagining what would happen if the two men, Alistair and Joe (who have never actually met in real life), were to meet up now, both middle-aged, over three decades after that fateful day. The result is a unique and compelling film that deftly moves from a powerful re-enactment of the initial tragic events to a riveting and dramatic fictional interpretation of subsequent events in which the two agree to meet for a television documentary. However, Little (Neeson) is completely unaware that Griffin (Nesbitt) has only agreed to the meeting because he plans to avenge his brother's death by killing him. During its course, the film examines the complex psychological relationship that exists between the perpetrator of a crime and the victim. It is not a film about truth and reconciliation or finding easy answers. Having worked closely with both Griffin and Little, screenwriter Guy Hibbert and director Oliver Hirschbiegel have created a unique, compelling and thought-provoking film that deals with themes and issues that continue to resonate throughout the world.
Film Crew
- : Oliver Hirschbiegel
- : Guy Hibbert
- : Ruairi O'Brien
- : Ronan Hill
- : David Holmes
- : Mark Lowery
- : Maggie Donnelly
- : Hans Funck
- : Big Fish Films
- : Element Pictures
- : Element Pictures Distribution
Technical Information
- Color
- English
Images
Videos
Trailer
A story which explores the impact of the legacy of violence on two men and the challenges of coming to terms with Northern Ireland's troubled past-
"In “Five Minutes of Heaven,” a feature-length talkathon built on a sketchy premise, some unpersuasive psychology, a pinch of politics and strong star turns from Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt, the appeal of all those words runs out long before the director Oliver Hirschbiegel turns off the spigot."
Manohla Darges, The New York Times -
"(The) feature is unfussy and compact on all levels, from crisp lensing (which in the first section apes the look of gritty '70s pics) to sparsely used score. Tech contributions are sharp."
Dennis Harvey, Variety -
"Best of all, Five Minutes of Heaven is a movie that trades in harsh, dark material, but it never loses sight of the true nature of humanity. Joe craves retribution, he needs and deserves it ... but that doesn't mean he should get it. It's not a sudden and horrible crime that ruins a life; it's how one actively deals with the aftermath that defines his future."
Scott Weinberg, The Sundance Review
