Review of Five Minutes of Heaven (2009) by Brent C — 17 Feb 2012

I'm going to meet the brother of the man I killed.

Alistair Little as a young man wanted nothing more than to impress the local gangsters and hoodlums. When the opportunity arises to execute a hit for the local bosses he jumps at the chance and shoots-down a young man. The shooting is witnessed by the young man's little brother and Alistair is sent to jail for twenty five years. Upon Alistair's release from jail, a local television channel sets up Alistair to be reunited with his victim's brother. How will the brother react?

"Do you think he wanted to meet me?".

"I think he wanted to kill you.".

Oliver Hirschbiegel, director of Downfall, The Invasion, and the upcoming The Angel Face, delivers 5 Minutes of Heaven. The storyline for this picture was interesting and fairly unpredictable. Several sequences were intense and very entertaining but the ending wasn't as unpredictable as I anticipated. The acting was very good and the cast includes Liam Neeson, James Nesbit, and Barry McEvoy.

"I'd rather eat my two fucking feet than you get me there.".

I found this movie on Amazon Prime and had never heard of it. We gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised by the fantastic characters and how we found ourselves rooting for both sides. This movie is a fascinating drama that isn't outstanding but very entertaining. I recommend giving this picture a shot.

"I'm the one in the car now.".

Grade: B+ (8.25).