Shot in the Heart (TV 2001)

The story of a man coming to terms with the sins and secrets of his notorious brother and, in the process, exploring the legacy of violence in his own family.

Director:

Agnieszka Holland

Writers:

Mikal Gilmore (book), Frank Pugliese (teleplay)

Stars:

Anne Kathryn Parma, Ashley Edwards, Evyn Clark

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anne Kathryn Parma	...	Wanda Brown
Ashley Edwards	...	Alta Brown
Evyn Clark	...	Bessie (Age 12)
Kim Abunuwara	...	Melissa Brown
Rick Macy	...	Will Brown
Giovanni Ribisi	...	Mikal Gilmore
Terry Beaver	...	Richard Giaque
Lee Tergesen	...	Frank Gilmore, Jr.
Reid Sasser	...	Guard No 1
Elias Koteas	...	Gary Gilmore
Brett Fleisher	...	Gaylen Gilmore
Sam Shepard	...	Frank Gilmore, Sr.
Trevor Gosden	...	Mikal (Age 5-12)
Amy Madigan	...	Bessie Gilmore
Paul Wesley	...	Gary (Age 15-22) (as Paul Wasilewski)

Storyline

In fall 1977, Mikal Gilmore and his older brother Frank Jr. ride through the Salt Lake Valley in a Rolls-Royce driven by ACLU lawyer Richard Giaque. They are on their way to Utah's Draper Prison for a "one-time-only" visit with their notorious brother Gary, a death-row inmate set to be executed in a few days. Convicted a year earlier of the brutal murders of two Mormon men, Gary has been sentenced to death in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to reinstate capital punishment. Since he stands to become the first American in more than a decade to be executed, Gary has become the subject of enormous national attention, and his request to die stuns his ailing mother Bessie and confuses his brothers. Mikal and Frank hope to meet with Gary, change his mind, and get papers signed that will stay the execution.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | death row | lawyer | capital punishment | aclu | 

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Taglines:

What happens when your brother is a killer?

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some strong violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 October 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Shot in the Dark

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Home Box Office (HBO), Levinson / Fontana Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of The Executioner's Song (1982)

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Soundtracks

"Old Shep"
Written by Red Foley
Performed by Elvis Presley

User Reviews

A very powerful, dark and family portrait

I first saw this HBO movie when it came out 2001 on air and I found it good. Then when I brought Mikal Gilmore's book which the movie was based on, I found that I could not put it down because it was so moving and sad. I could not imaging growing up in such a dysfunctional family and coming out of it with some sense of sanity and Mikal did seem to survive it.

I am not afraid to write this down, but I felt like crying when watching this film because the story was so raw and filled with such wonderful darkness - I use the term 'wonderful darkness' because this was a story about a man's need to connect with his brother Gary, who he barely knows who committed murder. This need results in heartbreak and a bit of clarity and definitely understanding about Not only Gary, but his whole family and how they dealt with things and each other. Giovanni Ribisi was phenomenal as Mikal Gilmore, in fact so were much of the cast, which had Sam Shepard as the boy's father Frank and Lee Tergesen as the oldest son, Frank Jr.

Relationships and family dynamics played a huge role throughout this film and I felt that Mikal Gilmore did a great job in writing the book, which is reflected very well in the film.

I finally brought the DVD of this film two, three ago and I watched it yesterday. If anything, my appreciation for "Shot in the Heart" has only grown with time.