Movie with Abe: Shot

Shot
Directed by Jeremy Kagan
Released September 22, 2017

If there’s one topic that’s sure to rile controversy, it’s the issue of gun control in the United States. Since most people in Hollywood tend to be liberal, films often paint a picture from one side, which is to suggest that guns in general are dangerous and their mere existence and prevalence is cause for enormous concern. This particular film chooses its title carefully, opting for an action executed with a gun rather than naming the weapon itself, and its exploration of the consequences of one simple action serves as a much better metaphor and instrumental example than as a convincing and engaging film.

Mark Newman (Noah Wyle) is a sound mixer who, in the film’s opening moments, is editing an action sequence and amplifying the sounds as each member of the onscreen posse is hit with bullets. Little does Mark know that, just hours later, he himself will be shot, struck by a stray bullet accidentally fired by Miguel (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.). After an argumentative meeting with his soon-to-be-ex-wife Phoebe (Sharon Leal), Mark’s relationship with the woman who must now frantically call the police to try to save his life is irreversibly changed, as is his physical future following this unfortunate event that takes mere seconds to happen.

The film employs a split-screen technique as it stays with Mark, on the ground after being hit by a bullet he didn’t even see coming and just heard being fired, and also follows Miguel, who doesn’t know what to do after he mistakenly fires the harrowing shot. Miguel’s first instinct is to make sure that his victim is okay, but the questionable origins of the weapon and peer pressure compel him to flee the scene. It’s hard to know how anyone would react in this situation, and this film’s mission is to examine the way that this split-second transformation affects the shooter, his victim, and the closest witness.

This film’s effectiveness as a movie truly does take a backseat to its importance as a rallying cry against the widespread accessibility of guns, and the way in which even completely innocent interactions can lead to deadly, life-changing consequences. Wyle leads a cast of TV veterans, including Leal from “Supergirl,” Malcolm-Jamal Warner from “Sneaky Pete,” Xander Berkeley from “24,” Elaine Hendrix from “Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll,” and Joy Osmanski from “The Loop,” all of whom would be better using their talents in more prominent parts that take better advantage of their abilities. This film serves its intended purpose to attempt to inspire social change, but as a movie it’s fairly forgettable.

B-