Shot in the Heart

"Shot in the Heart" is an excellent HBO flick with one huge, glaring fault. It is, in a word, boring. Granted, many will be absorbed by the human drama. However, in the final analysis it's still 75% conversation between a murderer on death row and his estranged brother in which they share perspectives on family matters, the Mormon church, personal perceptions, attitudes, etc. none of which are particularly interesting and much of which are yada-yada-yada about the turkey thing, the Mormon blood-letting thing, the book from Johnny Cash thing, the 1000 pushups thing, the 90 year old man thing, etc. Bravo for making an excellent film. Too bad the subject was Gary Gilmore. Recommended for the not so jaded who may find a rehash of a dysfunctional family's son-gone-wrong story of interest.

This movie affected me in more ways than I can express. It tore my heart out to see how the brothers went from strangers, to brothers. The performances were excellent, especially, the extraordinary Giovanni Ribisi. I am definitely running out to get the book tomorrow.

An interesting TV movie based on true fact, betrayed by the description of one of the leading characters, that of a prisoner. Giovanni Ribisi plays his younger brother, who has the delicate mission of deciding if he will appeal to the courts for his brother's death penalty. But when he goes to visit him and enters Elias Koteas, the problem starts. It has nothing to do with Koteas' acting ability. He just looks like the version of a prisoner of proletarian roots according to "G.Q." magazine, with a language too sophisticated for someone who has spent most of his life behind bars. This realization came to me after meeting again an old friend, whom I had not seen for almost 15 years, which he spent in several Panamanian jails. The young man I used to know is gone, not only because he is older, but due to his exposure for a prolonged time to the penal system. There are jails and there are jails, one must say, but this one prisoner in "Shot In the Heart" is definitely out of this world.

Shot in the Heart is another of HBO's gems. They make the films that Hollywood generally ignores. Shot in the Heart is a film that takes its time to tell the story of Gary Gilmore and his most dysfunctional family in an intelligent, quite un-mawkish manner. The acting is nothing short of superb. Forget Norman Mailer and savor what must surely be a true story of this very sad event.

Wow, I loved this film. It may not have had the funding and advertising that the latest hollywood blockbusters get but it packs twice the emotional punch. The tale revolves around this one family from Utah and it's the connections between the people in the family that provide the film with its punch. The main lead (Giovanni Ribisi) plays his part very well, at no time does he leave you to believe that he's acting all his feelings. It's his brother (Elias Koteas) who stole the show for me though. When the two were in scenes together they bounded their lines off of each other, giving fantastic performances. Great cast, great film.