Review of Five Minutes of Heaven (2009) by Kyle E — 19 Apr 2009

If there's one thing I've learned about Liam Neeson in the last several months, it's that he's one of the most versatile actors of his time. Having just watched "Taken" a few weeks ago, I really didn't know what to expect from his next piece of work. In "Taken", Neeson played a man destroyed by the thought of his daughter being passed around as a party favor over seas thanks to human trafficking. He rose above the situation, using his skills to take everyone out. But this isn't "Taken". Here Neeson plays Alistair Little, a man whom has paid for the sins of his past, or so the government thinks. The film opens with a monologue by Neeson's character explaining what he did back in the day so to speak. While only fifteen/sixteen, he guns down a man that his gang, the UVF, wants him and his little crew to kill. The film goes into great detail explaining this, and it's very important to the story.

We then flash forward to many years later, thirty-three to be exact, and the media has gotten wind of the situation. A local television program wants to bring the two together to meet for the first time, and give Alistair a chance to ask for forgiveness. Problem is, Joe wants to kill him.

And that pretty much sets up the movie, cause I don't want to go into any more details on what actually transpires. I can honestly say that if 2009's move year were to end today, this would be my pick as the best film of 2009. The acting here is top notch, and Liam Neeson deserves an Oscar nod for his performance here. James Nesbitt does an excellent job of portraying the young boy destroyed by the whole situation of the past, now thirty-three years older, and both men just want the same thing, peace. They want to wake up and concentrate on their lives and not what's happened in the past.

The film is a haunting tale of human emotions as seen through the eyes of both a murderer and its victim. I'm not sure if the film will get a nationwide release, but if you have a chance to sit down at some point and view this film, don't turn it down. You might just walk away with a new sense of forgiveness and redemption.