Not much happens in Five Minutes of Heaven, but what does happen proves to be moving and, at times, emotionally devastating.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Sep 4, 2023

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 18, 2011

| Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 17, 2011

Un drama reflexivo y quizs alegrico sobre las heridas que permanecen aos despus de un conflicto como el de Irlanda del Norte. Sus dos principales actores salen airosos de las quizs inevitables simplificaciones del guin.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 16, 2011

Tense tale of guilt and atonement in Northern Ireland.

| Original Score: 4.0 | Dec 24, 2010

The film deserves credit for not offering any easy answers, but it also fails to ask any interesting questions.

| Original Score: 4/10 | Jun 22, 2010

... about real people shaped by real situations and experiences that echo through their being long after the events are over.

| May 2, 2010

...intelligent and provocative

| Original Score: 88/100 | May 1, 2010

Pitch-perfect performances and an incredibly powerful first two acts do a lot to make up for the film's loss of momentum towards the end.

| Apr 14, 2010

The economy of the screenplay provides an intense and focused film that ultimately delivers a gentle and controlled payoff

| Mar 13, 2010

Acclaimed director Oliver Hirschbiegel gives us much more than we expect in a complex and superbly executed film, whose subject matter may be specific but whose themes of humanity are universal

| Mar 13, 2010

Five Minutes of Heaven is actually 75 minutes worth of buildup to an ending that's much more fizzle than sizzle.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Nov 24, 2009

[T]his difficult, uncomfortable film... deconstructs the notion of what 'evil' is... Subtle and sharp in how it turns over notions of revenge and grief, forgiveness and empathy, compassion and understanding...

| Nov 12, 2009

Five Minutes of Heaven is an almost-great film that gets points for sticking with its confused and conflicted characters as long as it does.

| Nov 9, 2009

Five Minutes of Heaven is a frustrating inconsistent film which provides a vehicle for some truly outstanding acting...

| Original Score: 6/10 | Nov 6, 2009

A director whose breakthrough was the story of a madman's last stand has exceeded that feat with the story of an angry man's next step.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Nov 5, 2009

Two marvelous performances from two Irish actors turn Oliver Hirschbiegel's Five Minutes of Heaven into a tour de force.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Oct 15, 2009

This talky little drama about two men *not* meeting is exceedingly well-written and very efficiently made, with surprisingly good mood-setters and dramatic deflections

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Oct 2, 2009

It's easy to see what attracted Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt (Bloody Sunday) to Prime Suspect veteran Guy Hibbert's screenplay: it's an actor's showcase.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 24, 2009

James Nesbitt is searing in a performance that bubbles both with rage and a tightrope type of wit.

| Original Score: B | Sep 16, 2009