This
new art-house outing from Miramax is compelling from frame-one to the credits,
but Heaven is almost two separate films. An interesting experiment really that
pairs to very disparate film-makers. The script was written by the deceased Polish
director Krzysztof Kieslowski known for his slow to develop work (Red, The Double
Life of Veronique). And directed by Tom Tykwer, the (frenetic) young German director
of Run Lola Run. I would call Heaven a mostly successful compromise - which succeeds
largely on the basis of a flawless script a compelling and smart story and spot-on
performances by Cate Blanchett and Giovanni Ribisi.
Ironically
this is the second time Cate has played a crusader against drug-lords, but this
film is miles above Veronica Guerin in terms of movie smarts. I would also venture
to say that it’s the finest performance to date from Ribisi - who plays the
love-struck young Italian accomplice with an almost supernatural restraint.
Blanchett
plays an Italian school-teacher who has seen her husband as well as many of her
students wither away due to drugs and it just so happens that the drug-lord who
is one of those untouchable Italian types used to be college-mates with her deceased
husband - the two have stayed in touch mainly out of her husbands fondness for
drugs.
Blanchett’s
attempt to blow up the drug-lord in his high-rise office building goes terribly
awry due to a bad twist of fate and soon she is imprisoned for the death of four
innocent civilians. While the drug lord remains alive and just as untouchable.
During her interrogation a young translator and court reporter played by Ribisi
finds out the truth about the entire situation and in a moment that isn’t
altogether plausible, falls in love with her and is soon hatching a plan to effect
her escape.
I
don’t want to give any more of the plot points away here, because it’s
a terrific film - I will say that following the escape there is a fairly dramatic
change of tone in the film. It didn’t bother me and made sense and became
the most unusual of love stories, but some might find the ending slow and out
of step. To each his own - The Boneman’s in on Heaven.
