Five Minutes of Heaven is a made-for-television movie produced in Northern Ireland, directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel and released in 2009. It stars Liam Neeson as Alistair Little, Mark Davison as the teenage Alistair Little, James Nesbitt as Joe Griffin and Gerard Jordan as James Griffin. The script was penned by British screenwriter Guy Hibbert, who also wrote Omagh, a 2004 film about a Real IRA bombing that killed 29 people. Like Omagh, Five Minutes of Heaven depicts actual people and events during the Troubles. The film was shot in Belfast, Lurgan and other Northern Ireland locations. It was released at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2009, winning awards for direction and screenwriting, and was first broadcast on British television in April 2009.
The main character in Five Minutes to Heaven is Alistair Little, a teenage Protestant who has seen friends killed and maimed by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). At the age of 17 Little joins the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and is assigned his first mission. In October 1975 he is sent to execute James Griffin, a 21-year-old Catholic. Griffin, Little is told, refused to give up his shipyard job to a Protestant; he is being killed to deter others from doing the same. Little approaches Griffin’s home in Lurgan, County Armagh, and fires through a window. Griffin is gunned down in cold blood and dies almost instantly. The killing is witnessed by Griffin’s 11-year-old brother Joe. Little is arrested for the murder and sentenced to 12 years in prison. While behind bars he experiences guilt and remorse. Later, he renounces the IRA and expresses regret for his action. Fast forward 30 years and a television station wants Little and Joe Griffin to reconcile on air. Joe, however, only harbours thoughts of revenge. What will happen when they meet?
As mentioned, Five Minutes to Heaven is partly based on fact. Little and the Griffins both existed and the murder of James Griffin did happen. The modern day meeting between Little and Joe Griffin, however, is a fictional device. The movie is well made and conveys some powerful sentiments. Griffen cannot forgive Little for killing his brother and ruining his life – while Little’s actions, it seems, have ruined his own life. In some respects these characters become a metaphor for post-Troubles Northern Ireland. They hope to break the cycle of violence and reconcile but neither is sure how this can be achieved. Despite its contrived plot and occasional slowness, Five Minutes of Heaven is a worthwhile movie that explores some of the psychological effects of the Troubles.
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This page was written by Jennifer Llewellyn and Steve Thompson. To reference this page, use the following citation:
J. Llewellyn and S. Thompson, “Five Minutes of Heaven (2009)”, Alpha History, accessed [today’s date], https://alphahistory.com/northernireland/five-minutes-of-heaven-2009/.