CRACKER? Shot Through the Heart (1998)

                “Shot Through the Heart” is a made-for-HBO movie about two snipers in the Bosnian War.  It was directed by David Attwood.  It was based on an article entitled “Anti-Sniper” by John Falk.  It was well-received and won a Peabody Award.  The movie is set in the siege of Sarajevo during the war.  Until the war broke out, Muslims, Serbs, and Croats were living peacefully with each other.   The movie shows how quickly pre-war fraternity can quickly evaporate when ethnic groups are involved.

                The movie is based on the experiences of Vlado Sarzinsky (Linus Roache).  He was a Croat married to a Muslim woman.  Vlado was a stable family man.  His best friend was Slavko Simic (Vincent Perez).  Slavko was a bachelor, ladies’ man.  The two were like brothers and had been teammates on the Yugoslavian Olympic team.  They were sharpshooters.  You can see where this is heading from a mile away.  Things are fine in Sarajevo until the war comes to town.  Slavko gets called up into the Bosnian Serb army.  He tries to convince Vlado to evacuate for the safety of his family, but Vlado is overconfident that the Serbs would never open fire on the city.  Plus, he refuses to become a refugee.  This is our home!  Yada, yada, yada. 

                The decision to stay looks shaky when a lone artillery shell hits the Sarzinsky apartment.  He decides to join the militia and is not man enough to get his wife to flee.  “If you’re staying, I’m staying.”  Okay, dear.  Meanwhile, Slavko has gone over to the dark side and is training a sniper team.  And not just training, why let your pupils have all the fun?  Serbian snipers, including Slavko, are targeting civilians.  Vlado witnesses the deaths of children and recognizes the style and ability of his former friend.  He decides to do something about this situation.  Only one of these buddies is going to survive this duel.

                “Shot Through the Heart” is based on a fascinating story.  A story that you would assume is fictional if you did not find out it is based on fact.  Since I could not get hold of the article, I cannot vouch for how accurate the movie is.  I have to assume that because the plot is predictable and lays it on thick, the movie has probably enhanced the story for entertainment purposes.  Before the artillery hits the fan, these two guys are the stereotyped best friends.  The movie takes them from one extreme to the other, as movies often do.  This means the character arc of Slavko is hard to swallow.  This likeable fellow becomes a child-killing sociopath?  Nothing in the movie justifies this change of personality.  That is not the only unrealistic aspect of the film.  The resolution of the conflict is weak, but to be expected from a movie that is cookie-cutter.

                Everything about the movie is average.  The actors are average. Roache and Perez are not exactly A-Listers. The cinematography is not noteworthy.  The soundtrack is bland.  The plot is unrealistic and does not give a clear impression of the hellish nature of the siege.  There is little artillery bombardment, for instance.   I’m not saying you should avoid the movie.  It is an entertaining premise and is competently done, but it is not going to challenge you.  Don’t watch it if you want to learn the basics of the Bosnian War.  That is not what the movie is designed to do so don’t make this the first movie about this war that you watch.

                Cracker?  Nope.

 

GRADE  =  C