Heaven | Deseret News

Summary

HEAVEN —** — Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Remo Girone, Stefania Rocca, Alessandro Sperduti, Mattia Sbragia, Stefano Santospago, Alberto DiStasio; in English and Italian, with English subtitles; rated R (violence, profanity, sex, brief drugs, brief gore, brief nudity); Broadway Centre Theatre.

"Heaven" draws you in with so much conviction and forcefulness — at least at first — that you may feel compelled to forgive the film for its ludicrous plotting and smug lack of morality.

But for only so long.

This dramatic thriller stretches credibility so often that it almost seems more like a fantasy. And unlike, say, John Sayles' far superior 1999 drama "Limbo," this film doesn't earn its ambiguous ending, which actually seems like a cheat.

What really seals the deal, however, is an utter lack of chemistry between its two stars. What's so surprising about that is that one of them is Cate Blanchett, who stars as Philippa Paccard, a schoolteacher seeking revenge for the death of her husband. Philippa recently planted a bomb in the office of a man (Stefano Santospago) she believes to be a drug lord — and who caused her late husband's downfall. However, the bomb instead kills innocents — a father and his two daughters, as well as a cleaning lady.

The local police, however, aren't interested in her story. Instead, they seem intent on finding out whether she has any terrorist connections. Translator Filippo Fabrizi (Giovanni Ribisi) takes pity on her, however, vowing not only to help Philippa exact her revenge but to also help her escape.

This offbeat, existential Bonnie and Clyde tale would seem to have a lot going for it. Director Tom Tykwer has shown aptitude for pulling off similarly offbeat material (particularly in his 1999 Sundance Film Festival hit "Run, Lola, Run"). And its script was one of the last works written by the late Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieslowski (the "Trois Colours" series).

And then there's the seemingly sure-fire combination of the usually dependable Blanchett and Ribisi. Unfortunately, neither is compelling or sympathetic, and there's zero chemistry between them.

"Heaven" is rated R for scenes of violence (an office-building explosion as well as a shooting), scattered use of strong sex-related profanity, a scene of simulated sex, brief drug content (use of a tranquilizer and a diuretic), brief gore and brief female nudity. Running time: 104 minutes.

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