Five Minutes of Heaven (2009)

Director:

Oliver Hirschbiegel

Writer:

Guy Hibbert (writer)

Release Date:

13 June 2009 (Bahrain)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

To face the future, they must face the past.

Plot:

The story of former UVF member Alistair Little. Twenty-five years after Little killed Joe Griffen's brother, the media arrange an auspicious meeting between the two. |

Plot Keywords:

Time In Title | Number In Title

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Liam Neeson	...	Alistair Little
James Nesbitt	...	Joe Griffen
Anamaria Marinca	...	Vika
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Juliet Crawford	...	Cathy
Niamh Cusack	...	Alistair's Mum
Mark David	...	Young Alistair (as Mark Davison)
Gerry Doherty	...	Joe's Dad
Richard Dormer	...	Michael
Paul Garret	...	Alistair's Dad
Katy Gleadhill	...	Fiona
Jonathan Harden	...	David
Pauline Hutton	...	Sharon
Andrea Irvine	...	Sarah
Gerard Jordan	...	Jim
Paul Kennedy	...	Sound recordist
Conor MacNeill	...	Dave
Mark Matthews	...	Martin - Cameraman at Loughfinn Centre
Mathew McElhinney	...	Stuart
Barry McEvoy	...	Joe's Chauffeur
Paula McFetridge	...	Joe's Mum
Diarmuid Noyes	...	Andy
Richard Orr	...	Alistair's Chauffeur
Lalor Roddy	...	LandLord

Also Known As:

5 lepta prin ton Paradeiso (Greece) [el]
Cennette bes dakika (Turkey: Turkish title) (festival title) [tr]
Cinco Minutos de Paz (Portugal) [pt]

Runtime:

USA:90 min (Sundance Film Festival)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

Ireland:15A | Portugal:M/12 | Canada:14A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK

Company:

Big Fish Films

Goofs:

Continuity: Little's photograph of Griffin's family changes between shots. In some scenes it has a border and in others it doesn't.

Quotes:

Alistair Little: For me to talk about the man I have become, you need to know about the man I was. I was fourteen when I joined the tartan gangs and I was fifteen when I joined the UVF. At that time, don't forget, there were riots on the streets every week; petrol bombs everyday...

Movie Connections:

References Meng long guo jiang (1972)

Soundtrack:

A Glass of Champagne

Truth And Reconciliation?

This 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.