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Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Remo Girone, Stefania Rocca, Matthis Sbargia ... see more see more... , Alberto Di Stasio , Stefano Santospago , Alessandro Sperduti , Giovanni Vettorazzo , Gianfranco Barra , Vincent Riotta , Mattia Sbragia , Mauro Marino

German filmmaker Tom Tykwer helmed this feature, which was adapted from a screenplay co-authored by the late Krzysztof Kieslowski. Philippa (Cate Blanchett) is a British schoolteacher living in Italy,... read more read more... whose husband fell victim to a drug overdose, as have several of her students. Marco Vendice (Stefano Santospago) is a powerful local drug dealer who sold the dope which killed Philippa's husband, as well as a number of neighborhood teens. Disgusted with the inability of the police to bring Vendice to justice, Philippa takes the law into her own hands, planting a bomb which is intended to kill the dealer. However, Philippa's plan goes awry, and instead the bomb kills four innocent bystanders. Philippa is arrested and brought before the police for questioning, not knowing that the interrogating officer in charge of the case, Pini (Mattia Sbragia), is one of Vendice's secret business associates. More comfortable with English than Italian, Philippa requests a translator, and multilingual officer Filippo (Giovanni Ribisi) is brought in to serve as interpreter. Filippo finds himself falling in love with Philippa, and with his help she's able to escape and go into hiding; however, despite her deep regrets about the loss of four lives in the bombing, she is still bound and determined to see Vendice dead. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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76% liked it

8,510 ratings

Critics

73% liked it

86 critics

R, 1 hr. 36 min.

Directed by: Tom Tykwer

Release Date: October 4, 2002

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DVD Release Date: June 17, 2003

 

Stats: 601 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (601)

  • LWOODS04
    March 2, 2012
    LWOODS04
    Cast: Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Remo Girone, Stefania Rocca, Alessandro Sperduti, Mattia Sbragia, Stefano Santospago, Alberto Di Stasio, Giovanni Vettorazzo, Gianfranco Barra, Mauro Marino

    Director: Tom Tykwer

    Summary: Deeply disappointed by law enforcement's lax i... read morenvestigation following her husband's drug-related death, Philippa Paccard (Cate Blanchett) takes the law into her own hands and ends up imprisoned in this moody romantic drama from director Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run). Filippo (Giovanni Ribisi), a police officer involved with Philippa's questioning, falls in love with her and helps her escape, as they flee together to the Tuscan countryside.

    My Thoughts: "The film has a beautiful back drop. The concept was interesting but failed to succeed in delivering a great thriller. Since there is little character development, you don't develop enough emotions for these character's to really care what happens. I wasn't convinced of the romance between Philppa and Flippo. I didn't see the right kind of chemistry brewing for them to make me believe they could be in love. When Flippo's father asks Philippa if she loves his son, I was so certain she would say no. But besides the lack of chemistry, there was a lack of action. I get the quiet thriller aspect of it, but there could have been a little bit more going on to keep the interest. It's a slow burning, but visually beautiful thriller that some will have the patience for where other's will try to stay awake to finish it. But as usual, Cate and Giovanni give stellar performances."
  • flixsterman
    May 24, 2011
    flixsterman
    Blanchett and Ribisi have an uneasy chemistry that seems to work within the context of the story. An odd sort of film with texture and forgivable deficiencies.
  • deano
    September 30, 2010
    deano
    Fantastic drama, mesmerizing performances and tight direction keep this film running in high gear.
    This is one of Cate Blanchett's most under-rated pieces of work. Not only stunning in it's visual and directing effects, but it has a screenplay that is hard to beat. Blanchett and... read more Giovanni Ribisi have perfect chemistry and the intense storyline is there from the beginning.
  • 76Majikat
    May 15, 2008
    76Majikat
    This Itlian speaking film (with a small amount of English speaking) is a little slow moving, but has a very interesting story. Cate Blanchett of course (as always) is brilliant, pairing with Giovanni Ribisi once again, who also gave a great performance.

    Ironically there is a... read more sense of freedom found in them being fugitives and the spark between them (in other circumstances) would probably not have ignited
  • harrycaul
    November 20, 2007
    harrycaul
    A curious movie with some interesting credits that it fails to quite live up to. It's not lively enough to be enjoyed as escapist entertainment, but it's too simplistic and far-fetched to resonate on any deeper level. Though there's no great chemistry between the two leads, it st... read moreill works best as an offbeat romance. The characters are severely underdeveloped; Stefania Rocca, for one, is completely wasted.
  • ceWEBrity
    August 14, 2007
    ceWEBrity
    Marketing this must have been a nightmare. It's awfully risky to put Cate Blanchett slinging bombs around in the first ten minutes of your movie and follow it up with another eighty of sad, ethereal drama; that's a hell of a tonal mismatch. Those expecting either a riotous thrill... read moreer or a larger-than-life romance are going to be sorely disappointed.

    Heaven's main function, which it pulls off flawlessly, is as a character piece with an emotional backbone. The pared-down plot acts as a playground for Cate Blanchett and Giovanni Ribisi (who is excellent here, by the way) to emote and react; with two lesser actors, this movie would have been excruciating. It's a testament to Blanchett and Ribisi's abilities that they are able to carry the human angle of this movie so competently. Take the interrogation scene. When Phillipa Paccard begins to cry at some unexpected news, Blanchett's acting is so absurdly good that you find yourself caring for this woman that you've seen in action for about two total minutes. And when Filipo touches her hand...something magic happens, right there, that the entire movie hinges on. It may not work for some people, which is kind of a shame. But it worked for me.

    Heaven is inert as a thriller, but that's not its goal. The poster shown here is maddening because there's one explosion and two helicopters in the entire movie. The movie's priority is to get you to feel what these people feel, and it does it in the wrapping paper of a drug-related thriller. It's just a love story in a strange package and no one seems to understand that. The term "love story" in itself is misleading, because Phillipa is so tormented that it's hard to imagine that she loves Filipo - she really just needs him. There's something distant and transient about their relationship, like the little white things you see floating in the air sometimes.

    When you add that emotional approach to the rich filming and the simple piano score, you have a movie that doesn't stop poking your Swoon button. Heaven is a perfect title for this movie, not only for its quality, but also for its atmosphere.

    Highly recommended, but know what you're getting yourself into.
  • vierasesine
    June 29, 2007
    vierasesine
    Wonderful camera work.
  • zeravenyoej
    March 16, 2008
    zeravenyoej
    A hypnotic film with a compelling performance by Cate Blanchett. Giovanni Risbi is good as well, but I didn't buy their romance. I have no idea why Cate would love him. No chemistry and just all in all not enough to buy into their relationship.

    It's actually a very weird ... read moremovie, tonally. Loved the begining, but it kinda dragged towards the end. It started out 4.5 star worthy, dropped to 4 around three fourths into it, but I'll add another half star for the breathtaking ending. Heaven is lyrical film with spiritual depth disguised as a political thriller.
  • mvieaddict
    September 4, 2010
    mvieaddict
    Directed by Tom Tykwer, Heaven was surely another more of Blanchett's great pieces of work. Visual it was stunning and the screenplay was hard to beat. Blanchett and Ribisi had a perfect chemistry and the storyline was there from the beginning, even though it started a little slo... read morew paced. The last half hour wasn't that dramatic as the first half, but it showed why, they were busy forming their connections. The concerned of being caught was there, but personally I was more interested in seeing them discover their love despite the stressful circumstance they were in. I was not familiar with Tykwer movies, but this one had all the elements of a basic thriller making it deep, uplifting and with unexpected twist.
  • DrStrangeblog
    October 15, 2008
    DrStrangeblog
    'Heaven' Strives for Otherworldly Experience

    Starts as an interesting, atypical, semi-thriller/semi-love story that turns into an escape film that doesn't know where to run. Pairs former co-stars completely different from their characters in The Gift, Giovanni Ribisi and Cate B... read morelanchett, who makes the most stunning bald woman I've ever seen. Ultimately I've learned from this movie that if you're going to go on the lam, do it in Italy because A) the police are completely incompetent, and B) the scenery is gorgeous.

View All Heaven Reviews

Critic Reviews

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
November 4, 2002
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Its compelling mix of trial movie, escape movie and unexpected fable ensures the film never feels draggy.

Kathy Cano Murillo
November 2, 2002
Kathy Cano Murillo, Arizona Republic

Heaven doesn't exactly reign on high, but it does make for a soul-searching experience.

Robert Denerstein
October 26, 2002
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News

There's much to admire about Twyker's movie, even if it runs out of gas once it hits the road.

Ann Hornaday
October 25, 2002
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

Seems to have less to do with lived moral dilemmas than with the smug piety of its makers. Full Review

Desson Thomson
October 24, 2002
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

A daunting task -- to realize the work of a dead master -- well done.

Richard Roeper
October 21, 2002
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

Blanchett's performance transcends cultural barriers, and makes the film well worth seeing. Full Review

Geoff Pevere
October 18, 2002
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

While we'll never really know what Kieslowski might have made of this ... we can be reasonably certain even he would be moved by what this unlikely young German filmmaker has made of it. Full Review

Edward Guthmann
October 18, 2002
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle

Blanchett, one of the great actresses working today, is mesmerizing. Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 18, 2002
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Blanchett's performance confirms her power once again. Full Review

Ty Burr
October 18, 2002
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

Some movies suck you in despite their flaws, and Heaven is one such beast. Full Review

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