Five' is not quite heaven
October 1Do you ever wonder what it would be like to mix a bunch of different foods together in a blender and eat it? Sure, by themselves the ingredients all taste great, but together they just don't mix. The same concept applies to Oliver Hirschbiegel's new Irish film "Five Minutes of Heaven." As separate entities, the acting, tone, screenplay and directing style all could work, but together they struggle to produce a coherent movie. The film opens with a flashback, revealing 17-year-old Alistair Little who wants praise and acceptance from his Protestant crowd in Northern Ireland. Circa 1975, times are tense, and violence looms around the corner between Protestants and Catholics. Alistair plots to murder a Catholic teen, and although the justification is murky, he decides to go through with the plan. When he gets there, his target's young brother, Joe, is outside kicking around a soccer ball. They lock eyes, but Alistair is in too deep to turn back; he puts three bullets into his target and flees. Fast forward to a few decades after the murder. Joe (James Nesbitt) and Alistair (Liam Neeson) are in separate cars on their way to meet each other for the first time. The details are a bit vague, but the media has organized a get-together for the two men in an effort to promote reconciliation and forgiveness. With revenge on his mind, Joe attends the meeting with an ulterior motive while Alistair simply wants to express his deep regret. The acting anchors the film throughout its 90-minute running time. Even though the script leaves very little to work with, the two headliners squeeze every ounce of juice they can from it. As Joe, Neeson is Mr. Reliable, giving the audience a quietly powerful performance. Alistair, the supposed villain of the film, seems arrogant at first, but beneath his exterior lays a sullen man full of regret for his past actions. Surprisingly, though, Nesbitt outshines his counterpart. This is partly because the script gives him much more to work with, but it is also attributed to his acting talent. With distinct, blood-shot eyes, Nesbitt brings an obsessive weariness to the role. He's always so full of anger that he could snap at any moment. In a better film, he would be on the fast track to awards and big-time recognition. Hirschbiegel is best known for directing the lauded 2004 Hitler film "Downfall," but here he fails to live up to that standard. His style employs too many stagnant medium shots that would better fit a documentary. The flashback works well and maximizes the stakes, but the rest of the film is not quick enough to keep up. The subject matter requires built-up tension, but the slow pace works against the slim potential the script offers and never achieves that heart-throbbing sensation. That being said, Hirschbiegel's use of sound is fascinating. Portions of the film are dominated by the ticking of a clock or heavy breathing and allow for some tension to seep through. The sound comes across as desolate and bold without being too gimmicky, and it stood out as a major plus. Then there's the ending. Screenwriter Guy Hibbert must have been trying to send some optimistic message, but it definitely falls flat. The first 80 minutes of the film deal with such strong personal issues and would seem to build up to some amazing crescendo, yet it never climaxes the way one might expect. The ending is too neat for a movie that tries to live in reality. Everything gets wrapped up in a bow and loose ends are tied. How do feelings brewing for decades get resolved in mere days? It is illogical and cheats the viewer. Hirschbiegel and Hibbert present some very valid questions about reconciliation and revenge. Unfortunately, those questions may best be answered in a documentary dealing with this subject matter instead of through an action flick set in Ireland. Ultimately, "Five Minutes in Heaven" has great ambition but only average execution, leaving the audience wondering what could have been.
