The
plot of Heaven, directed by Tom
Tykwer, revolves around a woman who kills five people and
then evades criminal responsibility. Schoolteacher Philippa
(played by Kate Blanchett), who was born in England but lived
most of her life in Italy, is the murderess. In the beginning
of the film, she makes a bomb to blow up the Turin drug dealer
who killed her husband. After secreting the bomb in the drug
dealer's wastebasket, a janitor comes along, dumps the contents
of the wastebasket into her janitorial cart, takes the cart
onto the elevator, and four innocent people die. Soon afterward,
Philippa identifies herself to the police as the one who planted
the bomb; after her arrest, she confesses that she was trying
to rid the world of a drug dealer. Insisting that she has
the right to speak English, her native language, a translator
is summoned. Filippo (played by Giovanni Ribisi) translates
and then gradually falls in love with her. Since she still
wants revenge, Filippo helps her to summon the drug dealer
to the police station, provides her with a pistol, and she
guns him down. Filippo then provides a hiding place in the
attic of the police station until the two leave when the coast
is clear. The rest of the film is devoted to their flight
and eventual escape from the country, all without providing
any reason why filmviewers should sympathize with her for
her vigilantism. For that matter, Filippo's bonding with Philippa
is also inexplicable. When they escape in an improbable manner,
the wheels of justice are backpedaling, and corrupt police
are at the helm. The two, of course, will not get very far,
so the plot shows that the drug war cannot be won in Italy
(or elsewhere) by using law enforcement officials . MH
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