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Heaven

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Heaven (2002)

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Reviews Counted:86

Fresh:63

Rotten:23

Average Rating:6.7/10

Consensus: The story is the weakest link in this gorgeous and well-acted film.

Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins

Genre: Dramas

US Box Office: $630,553

Synopsis: The raw emotions, deadly choices and mysterious impulses that surround the search for a state of grace come to the fore in HEAVEN, the last film written by the late master filmmaker Krysztof... The raw emotions, deadly choices and mysterious impulses that surround the search for a state of grace come to the fore in HEAVEN, the last film written by the late master filmmaker Krysztof Kieslowski and writing partner Kryzsztof Piesiewicz (the makers of "Blue," "White" and "Red.") Tom Tykwer ("Run Lola Run," "Winter Sleepers," "The Princess and the Warrior") directs, bringing his intense visual energy to the taut, lyrical, multi-layered story of an ordinary woman who takes divine justice into her own hands.

Academy Award nominee Cate Blanchett ("Elizabeth," "The Talented Mr. Ripley") stars as Philippa, a British teacher living in Turin, Italy, who has seen many friends, including her husband, fall victim to drug overdoses. Philippa has repeatedly contacted the police with information about Turin’s biggest drug dealer but, complicit in his dealings, they have completely ignored her. So Philippa decides to dole out her own form of justice with a home-made bomb – setting her off on a journey that moves through retribution and redemption, innocence and crime, hope and desire as she goes from young widow to fugitive on the run.

When Philippa’s plans go horrifically wrong, and she is taken into custody, she feels she has little left to live for . . . until she meets Filippo (Giovanni Ribisi), a young police officer. Deeply drawn to Philippa, Filippo becomes her mysterious soulmate and unexpected partner on the lam, as both search for a brief, radiant idyll in a corrupt world. This is a luminous and haunting love story layered, in the tradition of Kieslowski, over a probing exploration of the modern world and its moral choices. -- © 2001 Miramax [More]

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Remo Girone, Stefania Rocca

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Remo Girone, Stefania Rocca, Alessandro Sperduti, Mattia Sbragia

Director: Tom Tykwer

Director: Tom Tykwer
Screenwriter: Krzysztof Kieslowski, Krzysztof Piesiewicz
Producer: Anthony Minghella, Maria Koepf, Sydney Pollack, Stefan Horberg, Stefan Amdt, Manuela Stehr
Studio: Miramax Films

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Reviews for Heaven

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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The film’s great achievement is in creating and maintaining a certain mood, a tone that zings with tension and with layers of drama, with contextualised characters and with instantly recognisable humanity.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
09/04/02
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Casts a poetic, otherworldly romantic spell.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
12/30/08
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
06/10/08
Derek Elley
Derek Elley
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: NPR's Morning Edition | comment Comment
12/30/06
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
NPR's Morning Edition

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Critical Eye | comment Comment
01/24/04
Mark Freeman
Mark Freeman
Critical Eye
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Premiere Magazine | comment Comment
09/17/03
Glenn Kenny
Glenn Kenny
Premiere Magazine

For those who are open to a languorous meditation on love and justice, Heaven is a rewarding, if slightly labored, experience.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Weekly | comment Comment
09/06/03
Josh Bell
Josh Bell
Las Vegas Weekly

while Franka Potente fans may keenly feel her absence in this film, the addition of the absolutely phenomenal Cate Blanchett more than balances the books.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
08/10/03
Brian Mckay
Brian Mckay
eFilmCritic.com

It was gutsy for Tykwer to finish the work of a genius. He’s mostly successful.

Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
06/19/03
Mark Robison
Mark Robison
Reno Gazette-Journal

Blanchett is riveting.

Full Review Source: Charlotte Observer | comment Comment
04/11/03
Lawrence Toppman
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer

A very interesting film and, if you are a thinking person, it will haunt you for some time after you have seen it.

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
03/27/03
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

Heaven, beguiling as it is...eventually glides into the borderlands of pure mumbo jumbo.

Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | comment Comment
03/19/03
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks

You live the mood rather than savour the story.

Full Review Source: RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) | comment Comment
03/05/03
Harry Guerin
Harry Guerin
RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)

Its themes are also more relevant and understandable, but Heaven is still premeditated, conceptual, and vigilant.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
01/22/03
Blake French
Blake French
Filmcritic.com

This dramatic thriller stretches credibility so often that it almost seems more like a fantasy.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
12/06/02
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

What begins as a conventional thriller evolves into a gorgeously atmospheric meditation on life-changing chance encounters.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
11/29/02
Duane Dudek
Duane Dudek
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Arthouse hokum.

Full Review Source: Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada) | comment Comment
11/29/02
Paul Matwychuk
Paul Matwychuk
Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada)

A penitent meditation on guilt, revenge, sacrifice, and redemption.

Full Review Source: Mixed Reviews | comment Comment
11/28/02
Gabriel Shanks
Gabriel Shanks
Mixed Reviews
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
all

Latest News for Heaven

April 01, 2002: Heaven continues Tykwer's theme of love conquers crime. Opens in new window
More...

February 06, 2002: Finally, a trilogy that doesn't involve hobbits or Jar-Jars. Opens in new window
More...

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