Five Minutes of Heaven
2009 · Movie · R · 89 min · ★ 6.1 · 69% critics
Decades after a killing during Northern Ireland’s conflict, a former paramilitary and the victim’s brother are brought together for a televised meeting. As cameras close in, both men confront long-held guilt, anger, and the lasting fallout for their lives, raising hard questions about revenge, remorse, and whether moving forward is possible.
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Streaming on AMC+ and IFC Films Unlimited.
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Details
- Years
- 2009
- Release date
- 2009-01-19
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 89 min
- Critic score
- 69/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.1/10 (223 votes)
About
You may like this if you want a tense, dialogue-driven drama about guilt, revenge, and forgiveness after political violence, with strong performances; Not for you if you need fast action or airtight plotting like The Limey.
Pros: intense moral confrontation; strong lead performances; thoughtful, slow-burn tension | Cons: uneven pacing; shaky story logic; can feel TV-like
Themes
- northern ireland
- revenge
Awards & recognition
- Sundance World Cinema Directing Award: Dramatic · 2009
- Sundance World Cinema Screenwriting Award · 2009
Cast & crew
Liam Neeson
as Alistair Little
James Nesbitt
as Joe Griffin
Anamaria Marinca
as Vika
Mark Ryder
as Young Alistair - 1975
Niamh Cusack
as Alistair's Mum - 1975
Paul Garrett
as Alistair's Dad - 1975
Gerard Jordan
as Jim - 1975
Conor MacNeill
as Dave - 1975
Diarmuid Noyes
as Andy - 1975
- MM
Mathew McElhinney
as Stuart - 1975
Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel