Shot in the Heart (2001)

January 1977. Gary Gilmore is about the become the first conviced murderer to be executed in a decade. His brother Mikal can help prevent the execution but first he has to come to terms with the brother he barely knew. Together they discover a shared past born of a brutal father raised in a family haunted by death religion and superstition. With a media storm raging outside the prision another storm is brewing inside as a tortured son meets his brother and his fate.Running Time: 98 min.System Requirements: Running Time 97 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: R UPC: 026359189425 Product Description

6 days til death and the lives of two brothers

With six days to go before he is sentenced to be executed,two-time murderer Gary Gilmore and his littlest brother,Mikal,meet for the first time in twenty two years.In these six days, meeting in a claustrophic prison,these two brothers have major epiphanies about who they are,where they have come from and where each is destined to go in life.The book,SHOT IN THE HEART by Mikal Gilmore is quite condensed,but compellingly brought to the screen by famed and very diverse director Agnieszka Holland (EUROPA EUROPA,THE SECRET GARDEN,COPYING BEETHOVEN,TO KILL A PRIEST etc).The camera stares into the very souls of these two brothers as they explore their shared family legacy that has produced nothing but death and heartache.Historically accurate and very well done from HBO. April 3, 2007

Riveting

Great performances by all actors in this film make for a riveting account of Gary Gilmore's last days in prison and the attempt by his brother Mikal to make a human connection with him. Stongly recommended. February 6, 2007

Depressing yet compelling

This is about the murderer Gary Gilmore and primarily about the days before his execution. At times this film dragged and I liked the flashbacks the most. Where you got to know what made Gilmore the man he became. He had a violent childhood where his dad beat on him and his brother Frank but he got the worst of it. He was in and out of jail since he was 14.

I don't like the death penalty. I think incarceration for life is enough and let God be the judge. I find it highly disturbing that someone like Dubya can execute people when he spent his first years of his life a spoiled brat then a drunk until 40. How can someone like that make decisions on who should live and who should die? It's beyond me.

Anyway, I recommend Dead Man Walking over this if you want to view a movie on executions.
August 14, 2006

Mixup

The previous review mixes up the performers. Ribisi plays the brother and Koteas plays Gilmore. June 17, 2004

riveting and greatly acted

with two performances by Elias Koteas and Giovanni Ribisi this movie is special with its great story about Giovanni who plays Gary Gilmore who is going to be sentenced to death and his brother who doesnt remember him played with grace by Elisa Koteas. It's an HBO movie straight to video after it was on the channel. December 4, 2003

More reviews at Amazon.com ...