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In 1975, Northern Ireland was right in the middle of The Troubles. Protestants and Catholics were fighting each other in the streets. And teenager Alistair Little was caught up in the violence.

“I was 14 when I joined the Tartan gangs and I was 15 when I joined the UVF, the Ulster Volunteer Force. At that time, don’t forget there were riots in the streets every week. Petrol bombs every day and that was just in our town. And it was like we were under siege. Fathers and brothers of friends were being killed in the streets and the feeling was we all have to do something. We’re all in this together and we all have to do something.”

That’s actor Liam Neeson portraying Alistair Little in the new film, Five Minutes of Heaven. In real life — Little was just 17 when he murdered another teenager. He shot 19-year-old James Griffin through a living room window, as Griffin’s younger brother, Joe, watched from the street.

Little served 12 years in jail for the murder.

Joe Griffin’s family fell apart. His mother irrationally blamed him for his brother’s death. Alistair Little and Joe Griffin are real. The murder actually happened. But the story which unfolds in the film is imagined.

Director Oliver Hirschbeigel wanted to explore what would happen if Alistair and Joe met today. This fictional meeting is what the film “Five Minutes of Heaven” is all about.