--- title: "Five Minutes of Heaven: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/five-minutes-of-heaven/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/five-minutes-of-heaven" critics_score: 70 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Five Minutes of Heaven (2009): what the critics said Critics' score 70 from 9 reviews: 6 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics come away in favour, and the praise clusters almost entirely on the two leads. Liam Neeson’s restrained, guilt-laden Alistair and James Nesbitt’s agitated Joe are named in nearly every review, usually for the contrast between them, and several critics admire the film for refusing to offer an easy version of reconciliation. The urgent opening section is picked out more than once as the strongest stretch. Beyond the performances the reviews part company. Several find the middle overextended and the pace flagging, and more than one feels the final confrontation lets down what the film has built. The Hollywood Reporter dissents most sharply, arguing that the drama circles its subject and restates familiar moral points, coming alive only in the scenes with Anamaria Marinca. The AV Club alone finds Nesbitt’s performance uncontrolled rather than explosive. The spread is wide for a film this well liked, running from strong recommendations to one outright dismissal. ## Radio Times — David Butcher Rating 4/5. The review gives the drama a strong recommendation, praising the performances of James Nesbitt and Liam Neeson. It also singles out the film’s dismantling of the ideal of reconciliation. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-voieci/five-minutes-of-heaven/) ## Time Out — David Fear Rating 4/5. 18 August 2009. Fear’s four-star rating signals a favorable verdict, despite familiar conventions in Troubles-era Irish cinema. The visible description singles out period-appropriate haircuts and riots as predictable genre motifs. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/five-minutes-of-heaven-1) ## Variety — Dennis Harvey Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 21 January 2009. Festival review. Harvey finds the film intense and ultimately moving, with no easy answers about reconciliation. He praises the powerful contrast between Liam Neeson’s restrained guilt and James Nesbitt’s raw, agitated performance. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2009/film/reviews/five-minutes-of-heaven-1200473176/) ## The Guardian — Sam Wollaston Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 5 April 2009. Wollaston finds the film strong, thoughtful and powerful, though its pace sometimes flags. He particularly praises the performances of Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt, while singling out the urgent opening section as the best part. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2009/apr/06/weekends-tv-television-review) ## The AV Club — Sam Adams Rating B. 20 August 2009. The review finds the film light on insight and overextended in its middle, despite its effort to represent both sides of the conflict. It praises Alistair as the more sharply drawn, atypical character, while criticizing James Nesbitt’s uncontrolled performance. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/five-minutes-of-heaven-1798206811) ## Slant Magazine — Adam Keleman Rating 3/4. 21 August 2009. Keleman finds the film tense and morally engaging, though its final confrontation undermines the meditation on catharsis. He particularly praises James Nesbitt’s controlled, explosive portrayal of Joe and Liam Neeson’s nuanced performance as Alistair. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/five-minutes-of-heaven/) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 21 August 2009. The page is inaccessible, so the critic’s verdict cannot be established. No specific praise or complaint is available to report. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/21/movies/21five.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Kirk Honeycutt Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 20 January 2009. Festival review. Honeycutt finds the film emotionally forceful but dramatically circling its subject, stating familiar moral points without fresh insight. He singles out the scenes with Anamaria Marinca as the moments when the movie finally comes to life. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/film-review-five-minutes-heaven-92776/) ## Eye for Film — James Benefield Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 29 November 2009. Benefield finds the film flawed but powerful, though its resolution falters after a kinetic climax. He praises the lead performances and Hirschbiegel’s probing direction. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/five-minutes-of-heaven-film-review-by-james-benefield) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/five-minutes-of-heaven.md