Back when Alistair Little (Liam Neeson) was young and stupid, he partook in “The Troubles” of Northern Ireland. In the quest to get some street cred, he shot and killed a man in his home as the victim’s younger brother Joe (James Nesbitt) watched. Fast forward to the present time, where a new TV series attempts to bring Alistair and Joe together for the first time for an on-camera reconciliation.
I thought that this film did a fantastic job of showing the two sides of a tragedy. Alistair gets his momentary fame, stretch of prison time and then re-release into society that we’ve all seen plenty of times in other films. The real interest for me was in Joe’s journey. Through no real fault of his own, his life has been completely torn apart by the death of his brother, and the thought of facing Alistair could finish the job.
Ultimately, Alistair is reason. He’s thought out his own personal decisions repeatedly, honing them to a fine edge. Joe is emotion. He is continually haunted by the repercussions of another man’s actions against him and his family. Both men need to learn from each other’s experiences, they just have no idea how such an act will resound throughout the rest of their lives. The meeting would seem to be heavily in Alistair’s favor at the start, clearing his conscience of any remaining guilt, but human emotion doesn’t always follow logic.
A real sense of empathy is formed between the viewer and Joe as the awkward time before the TV interview passes. Joe slowly builds up his courage…but to do what exactly? That knife in his belt isn’t exactly a thank-you gift.
Thanks in large part to the performances of both Neeson and Nesbitt, Five Minutes had me hooked.
Good review, man, for a good movie. James Nesbitt is sooo damned great in it.
Hey, thanks.
Yeah, he really is great. He felt every minute of that movie. The car ride in, the waiting in the prep room… what a nightmare.
I love the way the TV show made both men repeat themselves before the meeting could start. Nesbitt on the stairs vs. Neeson reciting his story verbatim so the cameras could get a better take. Crazy.