Customer Reviews

Shot Through the Heart [VHS]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This movie grabs you and throws you to the ground. The true story of two members of Yugoslavia's Olympic riflery team, both accomplished marksmen, who are the best of friends until the war in Bosnia turns them into enemy snipers. Despite their lifelong friendship the two young men are still Serbian Orthodox and Bosnian Muslim, and the war in Sarajevo forces them to take opposite sides ... to the final showdown when one must fall.

We loved this movie. The actors and their performances are superb, the gripping drama of betrayal and survival takes the viewer for a ride full of unexpected twists and turns from compassion to cruelty amongst friends, family and community in Sarajevo during the Bosnian conflict.

The invasion and ethnic cleansing of Kosovo is pre-shadowed in this story of Serbs and Muslims living together in peace then crushed with violence into war. This movie puts a human face and voice to the inner ethnic conflicts in the Balkans. The real tragedy of Yugoslavia today finds expression in Shot Through the Heart.

Definitely one of the Best Foreign movies to make a statement about the human condition at war in Europe at the close of the 20th century. That this is a true story makes it all the more significant and relevant to the conflict in Kosovo, ethnic cleansing/genocide, and war between NATO and Yugoslavia. This is deeply moving emotional movie that engages you to step in the circle of hate and war between neighbors.

After spending three months doing humanitarian work in the former Yugoslavia in 1993, I didn't think a film in English, made by an "outsider", would ever convey what it was really like over there. I was wrong. Shot Through The Heart is remarkable in the way it shows the psychological effects of the war. Watching it, I felt transported back there. I recommend this film to anyone who wants to truly understand how the wars in Croatia, Bosnia-Hercegovina, and Kosovo happened. But I also recommend it to anyone who appreciates good film-making or wants a film that is an experience, not just a diversion.

This was really quite a well-made and compelling film. Set in 1992 Sarajevo, the film begins right before the region descended into war and ethnic cleansing. It follows two best friends, one Orthodox Serb, one Bosnian Muslim, who are both snipers for the Yugoslavian Olympic team. But with the break-up of the Yugoslav nation, there will be no Olympics for these brothers-in-arms, instead they will be pitted against each other in an ethnic war. This struck me as a very realistic and gripping portrait of this turbulent situation, and it was quite heart-wrenching to watch. The struggle between loyalty to your friend, and loyalty to your nation/ethnicity/religion is a universal theme that I think everyone should be able to relate to. The film was also very well-made, not at all "low-budget" feeling as I was expecting. Four stars.

PS- I found it quite interesting that the Muslims portrayed are indistinguishable from the Serbs. They look and act just like ordinary white Slavs. This is quite the contrast to the bearded and veiled fundamentalists that we are used to seeing.

I expected another silly sniper movie with lots of action. Wrong. It's more of a drama than an action movie. I've also heard some say the film doesn't accurately depict exactly how events of the war unfolded, but I think that's missing the point. As with many war movies, the war itself is just a setting for the story, which is the primary attraction.

It's a very powerful depiction of how friends can be torn apart by external forces and end up doing things they would never have imagined before. I think it also does an excellent job of driving home the fact that the complex factors that hold modern society together can, with the right pressure applied in the right areas, easily fall apart and result in terrible civil strife in even the most advanced nations, not just third world countries. Every nation has it's hot-button issues lying just under the surface, and it doesn't take much bring them to the boiling point. This movie makes that painfully clear.

Shot Through The Heart shows the public what we rarely saw on the nightly news, the human side of Sarajevo and the atrocities that occured. The people of Sarajevo appear to be no different than our neighbors, friends or relatives. You form an attachment to the characters, therefore, you care what happens to the them. They are not just nameless faceless victims as portrayed on our TV screens every evening.

The movie begins before the war breaks out and takes us through the horrors of a mainly one-sided battle. The main characters, portrayed by Linus Roache and Vincent Perez,are childhood friends who are forced to fight against each other. One is a Muslim and the other a Serb. They are forced into a war they don`t believe in or even understand.

In comparison, the movie is similar to Schlinder`s List but not with the high Hollywood budget and not as detailed. Nevertheless, the Sarajevo conflict between the Serbs and Muslims can only be compared to the Holocaust. It is ethnic extermination at its worst. But, Shot Through The Heart takes the public where it has never ventured before.

Roache, and Perez play excellent marksmen in this quality movie.
It would make one realize just how fragile our nations of the world can be. When friends of a longtime can go up against each other for their cause. One can only imagine how fragile the United States has been, too! How quickly these days we forget not all Americans wanted to be free of Great Britain. We were split in two by United States, and Confederate States. The movie makes you realize as we're at war still with Iraq, and monitoring Afghanistan w/ the The Taliban, and Assama bin Laden.
We all bleed the same, have friends/family, likes/dislikes. When as a society are we going to face the fact we're all just human? We are of different colors, faiths, straight, gay. You know just temporary caregivers of the earth.
I wonder with the war against Iraq, (we've no reason to be there)! The war on terrorism is awfull. I only hope we all can rise above to leave future generations of ALL the spectrum('s) a better earth worthy of them.
This movie will make anyone feel for Roache's, and Perez's families in this movie. We're all just family afterall. If we all no matter where we live on earth can grasp this concept we will reap better blessings, karma, or whatever your faith believes in.
Please watch this movie --- be careful it could be a great learning experience!
MAY ALL NATIONS LIVE IN PEACE --- NOT IN FEAR, AND WAR!

For the plotline in a nutshell, I am quoting the "Product Description" as shown on the Amazon Webpage for this film. Here it is...

"Two friends, each champion marksmen, are on opposite sides in war. One turns sniper for the enemy. One remains their town's last line of defense. In a terrible battle for power, two best friends must pull the trigger. Only one will feel the bullet - but both will feel the pain."

I was totally blown-away by the writing, the set design and especially by all the Actors. Linus Roache is always a favorite of mine. I have never been disappointed in any role he's played. Vincent Perez gave a slam-bang performance. Every cast member was absolutely perfect!

Saying "Goodbye" to a friend is always a difficult thing to do, let alone how the "Goodbye" was delivered takes the finale right up and over the mountain.

WOW! What a fantastic film. I am very impressed.

Shot Through the Heart

Taking place in the former Yugoslavia, lifelong friends from Christian and Muslim backgrounds are forced to take sides with their religious "brethren" in the killing of their actual (multi-religious) friends.

Not believing that they could be turned against each other in such a modern society as Sarajevo, a Muslim man stays with his family in his city.

Things degrade in to battle quickly and for his own survival, his Christian friend must show whose side he is on.

I won't say more but suffice it to say that in our country today, where much energy is used to arbitrarily and superficially divide groups,...
It could happen here.

This movie was an incredibly accurate depiction of one of the most horrific crimes of the 21st century. At the heart of the story is the beginning of a war, the end of a friendship and perhaps one of the most heart wrenching stories of all time. Linus Roache and Vincent Perez were perfect casting! Enjoy...

This is a great film about the battle in Sarajevo in the 90's. HBO did a great job with one minor flaw. If you have the original version of the movie, there is one scene where the DVD, was edited for some reason, and they took out like 2 bad words, which to me really had their place and meaning in that particular scene. It is rather comical to see the actor mouth out something other than what you hear. All-in-all a great buy and an excellent film.