Heart of America (2002)

School shooting drama in a suburban high school, believed to have been inspired by i.a. the Columbine High School Massacre.

Director:

Uwe Boll

Writers:

Robert Dean Klein, Uwe Boll (story)

Stars:

Jürgen Prochnow, Michael Paré, Patrick Muldoon

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jürgen Prochnow	...	Harold Lewis
Michael Paré	...	Will Prat
Patrick Muldoon	...	Ryan Brennan
Kett Turton	...	Daniel Lynne
Elisabeth Moss	...	Robin Walters
Maria Conchita Alonso	...	Mrs. Jones
Clint Howard	...	Artie Lynne
Brendan Fletcher	...	Ricky Herman
Lochlyn Munro	...	Reporter
Maeve Quinlan	...	Becky Schultz
Elisabeth Rosen	...	Dara McDermott
Will Sanderson	...	Frank
G. Michael Gray	...	Wex Presley
Kevin Mundy	...	Tommy Bruno
Michael Belyea	...	Barry Schultz

Storyline

School shooting drama in a suburban high school, believed to have been inspired by i.a. the Columbine High School Massacre.

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Plot Keywords:

high school | school shooting | gun | teenage sexuality | drugs | 

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Taglines:

When pushed too far the VICTIMS of violence seek REVENGE!

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, drug use, sexuality and language - all involving teens

Details

Country:

Canada Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 February 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Deadly Trust

Filming Locations:

New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Boll Kino Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG, Cinemedia, Shavick Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Daniel Lyne: What's our legacy? We saw, we came, we got pissed on weekly?

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Connections

References Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

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Soundtracks

"Sunshine"
Written by Peter Ries & Dawn Schoenherz
Performed by Dawn
Published by FMM Music Publishing

User Reviews

Uwe Boll does drama. No, seriously.

A look at the difficulties of high school life. The film takes place during a climatic last day of the school year and through ominous black and white flashbacks there are hints at the trouble that has been brewing.

Directed by the infamous Uwe Boll this is a surprisingly good film. While the acting is at times second rate and the hard rock soundtrack seems sorely misplaced during some moments, though not all, the film is pretty involving. Mainly through its flashback structure, the audience is placed hours away from a climatic event without knowledge of what will happen and bit by bit the past is revealed and we get an understanding of what is tragically imminent, kind of like in a Greek play.

There are also a few interesting shots - particularly the opening long take that ventures down a street including in and out of a house. The other major surprise is that Boll is at the helm. His crap video game adaptations are known for their brainlessness but this is significantly different and shows that he has (or at least had) some good film making ideas. The ending is also typical Boll - the film tries to outrun itself by turning into a big political statement and the catharsis seems underdeveloped for the characters and overly large for the film itself. And the kicker is that Boll uses - get this - narrated titles to make that statement. Though the presentation of media coverage was interesting and he should have stuck with just that as there is no need to state the obvious. It is that, and the few other annoyances, ultimately push this what could have been a good hard drama down to the "close but no cigar" category.

So Uwe Boll took a step in the right direction, but, since then, has somehow decided to take the road more traveled, crappy action movies, and that has made all the difference. 6/10

Rated R: violence, profanity, drug use, and a rape.