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Five Minutes of Heaven

Five Minutes of Heaven

Crime · Drama · Thriller · 2009

The story of former Ulster Volunteer Force member Alistair Little. Twenty-five years after Little killed Joe Griffin's brother, the media arrange an auspicious meeting between the two.

Movie details

Five Minutes of Heaven

“To face the future, they must face the past.”

2009 Crime · Drama · Thriller 1h 29m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.1 / 10

Community rating

The story of former Ulster Volunteer Force member Alistair Little. Twenty-five years after Little killed Joe Griffin's brother, the media arrange an auspicious meeting between the two.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Five Minutes of Heaven?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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The Public Eye

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A crime photographer gets involved in a conspiracy.

The Grissom Gang

The Grissom Gang

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Violent crime caper set in 1930s Kansas in which a gang kidnap an heiress and attempt to recover a ransom. However, the scheme is jeopardised when the leader falls in love with their beautiful captive.

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Bad Boys

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Oliver Hirschbiegel

Written by

Guy Hibbert

Liam Neeson

Liam Neeson

Alistair Little

James Nesbitt

James Nesbitt

Joe Griffin

Anamaria Marinca

Anamaria Marinca

Vika

Mark Ryder

Mark Ryder

Young Alistair - 1975

Niamh Cusack

Niamh Cusack

Alistair's Mum - 1975

Paul Garrett

Paul Garrett

Alistair's Dad - 1975

Gerard Jordan

Gerard Jordan

Jim - 1975

Court is in session

Put Five Minutes of Heaven on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.