I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Heaven is a chilling movie, full of suspense, that takes the viewer into the world of two young people on the run. It begins with a powerful dramatic punch that sets the course and tone of the rest of the movie. I must admit to liking subtitles, since I have hearing loss but I also find the Italian dialogue gives realism to the location. Cate Blanchett and Giovanni Ribisi are the unlikely couple, who find themselves fleeing the authorities. Ribisi plays an extraordinary role with total credibility, devising clever strategies to foil the police. Blanchett is a powerful presence who keeps the audience riveted to the screen, particularly in the opening scenes. The acting is superb by the supporting cast as well as the leading actors. The cinematography is excellent, and spans scenes of narrow streets, villages, barns and warehouses as well as the open countryside. I didn't find the movie slow and brooding, as some suggest. On the contrary, it seems to move quickly without flagging. There are some tender moments that are very moving. The ending is subdued but the overall impact makes it well worth viewing.

Although Cate Blanchett and Gio Ribbisi do competent acting in "Heaven", the movie's premise quickly starts to pull the movie down. Here we're supposed to believe that a school teacher can somehow turn bomber on the idea that a politician/drug-dealer is single-handedly responsible for ruin in her life and school system, and that alone fuels her murderous intentions. It doesn't hold weight for character motivation at all. Meanwhile Ribbisi's character is believable, but the situation becomes down-trodden and clichéd - and the storyline simply throws in the towel towards the end giving up. It is more interested in conveying mood than content. "Heaven" isn't a dud, but a sensationalized romance trying to somehow come across as original in which it fails.

Heaven had almost all the ingredients to make a great film; A good cast, Cate Blanchett giving a superb performance, and some beautiful cinematography. But the plot which is arguably the most important item on the list was one of the most unconvincing, ill thought out stories I've ever seen on film.*spoilers*In order to accept the story and follow it you have to accept the two main characters, who are both reprehensible. Philippa murdered 4 innocent people because of her ill thought out, cowardly assassination attempt on a drug dealer. We the viewer are supposed to let this slide because: a.) She didn't mean to, and b.) This drug dealer indirectly caused the deaths of 2 people close to her.Filippo falls for her, and decides to help her break out of custody. He has a bit of an excuse in getting her free, he knows that people high up in the police establishment are complicit in covering up the actions of the drug dealer that Phillipa was trying to expose.That is he could be excused if he broke her out of custody in order to uncover the truth about the crocked cops. That's not what happens, he falls pathetically in love with her at first sight, and devotes himself to keeping her away from the police for his own selfish reasons.Phillipa states that she will answer for her actions, she just wants to murder that evil drug dealer. Filippo dutifully obliges with her wish and assists her in murdering the dealer. At which point Phillipa should now turn herself in, if she has one shred of integrity. She doesn't, they both continue to run from the police.Filippo's father; Remo, is equally unbelievable. Police officer all his life and head of the police constabulary in Rome accepts his sons choice for aiding and fleeing with a fugitive because he is "in love". He even provides them with a chunk of money and offers to help them escape.The final scene is hardly worth explaining; the police tighten the net around the duo and they again seemingly escape to yet another slow motion piano scored scene. I didn't mention the score - it's poor, the excessive piano used in every scene just drags on to monotony.

I missed some of HEAVEN, but what I saw was mesmerizingly awful. A woman plots revenge in the death of her husband but things go wrong and she ends up in jail, where one of her jailers falls for her and plots her escape. English actress Kate Blanchett (not to be confused with Kate Bekinsale or Kate Winslett) plays the woman but the story is set in Italy, and all but one of her fellow actors is Italian (the exception being American-born Giovanni Ribisi) and huge chunks of dialog are in Italian with subtitles. The movie is extremely slow-going. Also, I am yet to find anything particularly appealing about Ms. Blanchett, whom I have now seen in three or four movies. I would have preferred Ms. Beckinsale and her perky breasts. And an American or possibly English setting.