So writes Mikal Gilmore about the relationship
he discovered between himself and his brother Gary Gilmore in the final days
before Gary’s execution in January 1977. Starring Giovanni Ribisi ("Gone
in 60 Seconds," "Saving Private Ryan")and Elias Koteas ("Lost Souls," "The
Thin Red Line"), HBO Films’ SHOT IN THE HEART is 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. Based on the acclaimed
non- fiction book by Mikal Gilmore, SHOT IN THE HEART focuses on the convicted
murderer’s campaign for his own execution, and the attempts of his family
to understand his decision.
Debuting in October, SHOT IN THE HEART is directed
by Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee Agnieszka Holland ("Europa,
Europa," ‘The Angry Harvest"), and also stars Amy Madigan ("Pollock," HBO’s
"A Bright Shining Lie"), Eric Bogosian ("Talk Radio," HBO’s "A Bright Shining
Lie"), Lee Tergesen ("Shaft," HBO’s "OZ") and Sam Shepard ("All the Pretty
Horses," "Snow Falling on Cedars").
Oscar-winning director, screenwriter and producer
Barry Levinson ("Rain Man," "Bugsy") executive producers along with Emmy-winning
producer Tom Fontana (HBO’s "OZ," "Homicide: Life on the Street") and Jim
Finnerty (HBO’s "OZ," Homicide: Life on the Street"). Nina Kostroff Noble
(HBO’s Emmy-winning "The Corner") produces. The script is by Frank Pugliese
("Homicide: Life on the Street"). Kary Antholis, vice president, HBO Films,
is the executive in charge of the film.
SYNOPSIS
Provo, Utah, 1929: Four young sisters, including
Bessie, 11, play with a Ouija board and conjure the spirit of "a dead Indian."
Their mother chastises the girls and tells Bessie’s father, who smashes the
board over his knee. Outside, Bessie’s sister Alta flies from a make- shift
sled, fractures her skull and dies. In voiceover, Mikal Gilmore recalls that
Bessie always felt it was the spirit of this dead Indian that brought death
and sorrow to her family.
In fall 1977, Mikal Gilmore (Giovanni Ribisi)
and his older brother Frank, Jr. (Lee Tergesen) ride through the Salt Lake
Valley in a Rolls-Royce driven by ACLU lawyer Richard Glaque (Terry Beaver).
They are on their way to Utah’s Draper Prison for a "one-time-only" visit
with their notorious brother Gary (Elias Koteas), 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 (Amy Madigan) and confuses his brothers. Mikal and
Frank hope to meet with Gary, change his mind, and get papers signed that
will stay the execution.
Gary is led into the visiting area, where he greets
Mikal and Frank Jr., and demands to know why their mother, Bessie, won’t
take money from Larry Schiller (Eric Bogosian), a producer and entrepreneur
who bought the exclusive rights to Gary’s story. Mikal confesses that he
threatened never to speak to his mother again if she did.
1956: Twelve-year-old Gaylen Gilmore (Brett
Fleisher) describes to his father, Frank, Sr. (Sam Shepard), the "ghost"
that he saw in their attic. Bessie, a devout Mormon, swears that it’s the
same ghost that killed her sisters and made their son, Gary, sick. Later,
Bessie is convinced the attic is haunted when Frank, Sr. Falls down the attic
stairs.
Mikal and Frank, Jr. Try to convince Gary to change
his mind about the execution. Gary becomes furious and insists that he doesn’t
want the ACLU and Glaque interfering with his "right to die." Uncle Vern
(Tom Quinn) and Aunt Idea (Rosemary Knower) arrive to visit Gary. Vern pulls
out t-shirts, emblazoned with a photograph of Gary and the words "Gilmore
- Death Wish." As Vern sings Gary one of his favorite songs, Mikal, disgusted
with the circus-like atmosphere, cuts the visit short and leaves.
1956: Frank, Sr. Abuses teenagers Gary (Paul
Wasliewski) and Frank, Jr. (Matthew Armstrong) at Christmas.
Mikal and Frank, Jr. Meet Glaque outside Draper
Prison. Mikal makes it clear he intends to stop Gary’s execution. At the
Biltmore Hotel, Mikal is upset when he sees his brother on the cover of Newsweek.
Mikal encounters Schiller, whom he suspects feels that Gary is worth more
dead than alive, and accuses him of using his brother’s execution just to
get a good story. Later, Mikal calls Bessie from his hotel room. Bessie blames
herself for Gary’s fate and urges Mikal to sign the papers requesting a stay,
without Gary’s permission.
The next day, Mikal arrives at the prison without
Frank, Jr. And hears Gary’s lawyers, Moody (Lance Lawman) and Stanger (Christopher
Crutchfield Walker), talking about Mikal’s conversation with Schiller. Alone
with Mikal, Gary expresses his desire to talk with his estranged girlfriend
Nicole (Kimberly Perfetto), and reiterates that he would rather be executed
than spend the rest of his days in jail. Gary is bitter and renounces Mikal
as his brother: He reminds Mikal that he has never been there for him in the
past. Nonetheless, Gary later asks Mikal to visit him again the next day.
In the hotel lobby, Mikal berates Schiller for
revealing their conversation to Gary’s lawyers. Schiller confesses to Mikal
that he doesn’t want to see Gary die, but believes in his inalienable right
to choose his own destiny.
On the street, Mikal is surprised when he sees
Frank Jr., who tells Mikal about the abuse Gary suffered as a child. They
sit in a park and commiserate. Frank Jr. Is convinced that Gary wants to
die and that Mikal should stop trying to save him.
1940s: Bessie and her three young sons are
abandoned at a roadside café. They start walking on the road, and
Bessie tells her boys to pray. A mysterious black man comes by and offers
them some sandwiches and cupcakes. He tells Bessie that everything will be
all right. Bessie always believed that this stranger was one of the three
Mormon Nephite angels.
In his hotel room that night, Mikal watches a
television interview with Nicole. She talks about Gary’s violence and her
passion for him.
Mikal writes Gary a letter begging him to choose
life, which Gary reads the next day during their visit. Mikal demands to
know why Gary murdered the two innocent Mormon family men. Gary scolds his
brother for trying to justify his rage and makes jokes about his psychological
motivation. He also intimates that he will kill himself if Mikal interferes.
Thanksgiving, 1956: Frank Sr. Starts a fight
with Frank Jr., and Bessie threatens to kill her husband with a carving knife
as young Mikal (Trevor Gosden) watches.
Gary confesses that Frank Sr. Beat and abused
him because his real father was Robert Gilmore (Jesse Lamonaca), Frank Sr.’s
son from his first marriage, and that Gary Gilmore isn’t even his real name.
The 1950’s: Gary faces a judge as his family
watches, and Bessie weeps as he is dragged off to jail for the first time.
Mikal says goodbye to Gary, who asks Mikal to
get Glaque to let him talk to Nicole. Mikal meets with Glaque and begs him
to get Nicole to speak with Gary. Glaque reminds Mikal that Gary tried to
coerce Nicole into committing suicide with him piror to his incarceration.
With only three days left until Gary’s execution, Glaque urges Mikal to sign
the court papers requesting a stay. That night, Mikal calls Bessie. She is
filled with guilt, but unwilling to sign the papers herself and thus anger
Gary. Mikal sees images of Gary and a young boy in his nightmares.
During their next visit, a hyped-up Gary apologizes
to Mikal for Schiller’s behavior. Mikal asks Gary if he murdered the men
because he was trying to kill himself. Gary comforts his brother, explaining
that he wants to be free, and death is his only way out. Gary tells a story
about a young boy who died in his arms when he was in juvenile detention.
Mikal is skeptical, but Gary confesses that he’s just afraid of what lies
beyond. During the car ride back to town, Mikal admits that he is having
doubts about stopping Gary’s execution. Mikal calls Bessie, who is at home
with Frank, Jr. Bessie wonders why Gary wants to die and tells Mikal to come
home.
As Mikal goes to the prison for his last visit
with Gary, the media is gathered outside in full force. Stanger and Moody
leave as Mikal enters. The last visit takes place with plate glass between
the brothers. Gary reads letters he has received and tells Mikal that he
received a surprise phone call from his idol, Johnny Cash. When Gary shows
Mikal a photograph of Nicole, Mikal promises to call her. Mikal demands to
know why Gary was headed for Portland on the night of the murders. Gary admits
he was planning to find Mikal and kill him. The warden enters and Gary complains
about having to wear a hood during the execution. Mikal and Gary are searched
by a guard before they are allowed to shake hands goodbye. Gary takes Mikal’s
hand and then kisses him on the cheek, leaving Mikal weeping uncontrollably
as his brother is led away.
Mikal joins Bessie and Frank, Jr. At Bessie’s
trailer home, where they wait for a phone call from Gary. Bessie weeps and
remembers saving Gary from drowning as a child. The phone rings. Images of
the dead Gilmore men end with Gary saying, "Semper erat Paater. There will
always be a father." A black hood is draped over Gary’s face as he speaks.
1857: Mormon Danltes take a man from his home,
lead him deep into the woods, and slit his throat. The man is a sinner whose
blood is being spilled as a means to his salvation.
As Mikal, Bessie and Frank, Jr. Watch TV, Schiller
gives a gruesome description of Gary’s final moments. The family grieves.
A series of black-and-white family photographs follows.
Portland, Ore., 1991: Mikal and Frank, Jr. Are
reunited in a tavern. Mikal tells Frank, Jr. That it was not Gary who was
the illegitimate son, but Frank, Jr. Himself. When asked, Mikal assures him
they will always be brothers.
Los Angeles: Mikal reads aloud from "Shot in the
Heart," the book he wrote about his family, before a rapt bookstore audience.
The passage he has chosen describes his determination never to be a father,
and never to have children. In an attempt to bring an end to the Gilmore
family line and the legacy of violence that haunted it.
BIOS
Giovanni Rubisi (Mikal Gilmore) has appeared
in such films as "The Gift," for which he was nominated for an Independent
Spirit award, "Gone in 60 Seconds," "Boiler Room," "The Virgin Suicides,"
"The Mod Squad," "The Other Sister," "Saving Private Ryan" and "subUrbia."
He will also be seen in the upcoming feature "Heaven." Ribisi’s TV credits
include a recurring role on "Friends."
Elias Koteas (Gary Gilmore) has been seen
in such films as "Lost Souls," "Harrison’s Flowers," "Dancing at the Blue
Iguana," "The Thin Red Line," "Apt Pupil," "Living Out Loud," "Fallen," "Gattaca,"
"Crash," "The Prophecy," "Desperate Hours" and "Some Kind of Wonderful."
He also appears in the upcoming films "Novocaine" and "Collateral Damage."
Koteas’ TV credits include HBO’s "Sugartime," "Contact," "The Habitation
of Dragons" and "Onassis: The Richest Man in the World." He has also appeared
onstage in "Kiss of the Spider Woman," "Death of a Salesman," "Bent," "The
Cherry Orchard" and "True West."
Amy Madigan (Bessie Gilmore) has appeared
in such films as "Time for Dancing," "Pollock," "With Friends Like These,"
"Loved," "Field of Dreams," "Uncle Buck," "The Prince of Pennsylvania," "Nowhere
to Hide," "Alamo Bay," "Places in the Heart," "Streets of Fire," "Love Child,"
which brought her a Golden Globe nomination, and 1985’s "Twice in a Lifetime,"
for which she received a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination
and her second Golden Globe nomination. Madigan’s numerous TV credits include
‘In The Name of the People," "Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100
Years." HBO’s "A Bright Shining Lie," "Riders of the Purple Sage," "And Then
There Was One," "Roe vs. Wade," for which she won a Golden Globe, "The Day
After," "Travis McGee" and a guest appearance on "Frasier."
Eric Bogosian (Lawrence Schiller) has appeared
in such films as "Deconstructing Harry," "Under Siege 2: Dark Territory"
and "Dolores Claiborne;" as well as two films based on his plays: "Talk Radio,"
which garnered him the Berlin Film Festival’s Silver Bear Award, and "Sex,
Drugs, Rock & Roll." His TV credits include HBO’s "A Bright Shining Lie,"
HBO’s "Witch Hunt," "Last Fight Out," "The Caine Mutiny Court Martial," "Welcome
to New York," "Beggars and Choosers," HBO’s "The Larry Sanders Show," "Law
& Order," "Crime Story," "The Twilight Zone," HBO’s "Tales from the Darkside"
and "Miami Vice." Bogosian is the author of such plays as "subUrbia," "Griller"
and "Wake Up and Smell the Coffee," and won Obie Awards for "Drinking in
America," "Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll" and "Pounding Nails in the Floor
With My Forehead."
Lee Tergesen (Frank Gilmore, Jr.) currently
stars in HBO’s critically acclaimed series "OZ." His feature film credits
include "Shaft," "Diamonds," "Coyote Moon," "Wayne’s World" and its sequel,
and "Point Break." He has appeared on such TV shows as "Touched by an Angel,"
"Cracker," "Weird Science" and "JAG," and had a recurring role on "Homicide:
Life on the Street."
Sam Shepard (Frank Gilmore, Sr.) has appeared
in such films as "All the Pretty Horses," "Snow Falling on Cedars," "Safe
Passage," "The Pelican Brief," "Thunderheart," "Steel Magnolias," "Baby Boom,"
"Crimes of the Heart," "Fool for Love," "Country," "Paris, Texas," "The Right
Stuff," "Frances," "Raggedy Man," "Resurrection" and "Days of Heaven." His
screenplays have included "Paris, Texas," and "Zabriskie Point," which he
co-wrote. Shepard has written such plays as "La Turista," "Operation Sidewinder,"
"Buried Child," for which he won the 1979 Pulitzer Prize, "Curse of the Starving
Class," "True West," "Fool for Love," "A Lie of the Mind" and "Simpatico."
Agnieszka Holland (director) began her
film career working in Poland, with famed director Andrzej Wajda as her mentor.
She wrote and directed the 1985 film "Angry Harvest," which received an Academy
Award nomination for Best Foreign Film; 1991’s "Europe, Europa," which received
a Golden Globe Award, as well as an Academy Award nomination for her adapted
screenplay; and "Olivier, Olivier." Holland’s American movie projects include
"Anna" (writer) and "To Kill a Priest" (co-writer, director). She also directed
"The Secret Garden" for executive producer Francis Ford Coppola, followed
by "Total Eclipse," "Washington Square’ and "The Third Miracle." Her upcoming
films include "Julia Walking Home," which she also wrote, and "Golden Dreams."
Barry Levinson (executive producer) is
a five-time Academy Award nominee and an Oscar winner for directing 1988’s
"Rain Man," for which he also received a DGA Award and a Golden Globe nomination.
He also received Oscar nominations for his screenplays for "Avalon," "Diner"
and "…And Justice For All," while "Bugsy," which he directed, was nominated
for ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Levinson’s
other directorial credits include "Diner," "Tin Men," "Avalon," "Good Morning,
Vietnam," "Sleepers," "Wag the Dog," "Liberty Heights," "Home Fries," "Sphere,"
"The Natural," "Jimmy Hollywood" and ‘Disclosure."
Prior to his critically acclaimed series "Homicide:
Life on the Street," which won him a directing Emmy, Levinson wrote for various
TV variety shows, including "The Carol Burnett Show." He later collaborated
with Mel Brooks on the features "Silent Movie" and "High Anxiety." Levinson’s
producing credits include the feature films "Quiz Show" and "Donnie Brasco,"
and HBO’s "The Second Civil War." With Paula Weinstein, he produced "Analyze
This." He also executive produced "The Perfect Storm," as well as the miniseries
"American Tragedy" and the series "Falcone," "The Beat" and HBO’s "Oz." His
film "Bandits" will be released later this year.
Tom Fontana (executive producer) is currently
an executive producer of HBO’s hit drama series "Oz." Fontana and partners
Barry Levinson and Jim Finnerty created the network series "The Beat." During
the seven-year run of ‘Homicide: Life on the Streets," Fontana earned a writing
Emmy, as well as three Peabody Awards, a WGA Award and four Television Critics
Awards. As a writer and producer on "St. Elsewhere," Fontana was honored with
two Emmy Awards, the Peabody Award, the Humanitas Prize and the Writers Guild
Award, among others. He also wrote the network special "The Fourth Wise Man,"
starring Martin Sheen and Alan Arkin, and executive produced the miniseries
"American Tragedy," as well as "Homicide: The Movie," "Firehouse" and "The
Prosecutors."
Jim Finnerty (executive producer) is currently
an executive producer on HBO’s "Oz." He has collaborated with Tom Fontana
and Barry Levinson on various pilots and TV movies for 15 years, including
"Homicide: Life on the Street." Prior to his partnership with Levinson and
Fontana, Finnerty worked on such films as "Superman," "Dog Day Afternoon,"
"Platoon," "Fatal Attraction" and "Mishima."
Nina Kostroff Noble (producer) produced
the Emmy winning HBO miniseries "The Corner." Her 15-year relationship with
Tom Fontana and Jim Finnerty has included work on such productions as "Homicide:
Life on the Street," "Family Brood," "Firehouse" and "Tattingers." As an
assistant director, Noble worked on "Basic Instinct," "Enemies, A Love Story"
and "Bull Durham."
Frank Pugliese (screenplay) received a
Writers Guild Award for the episode of "Homicide: Life on the Street" entitled
"Night of the Living Dead." He also wrote the season finale for Levinson
and Fontana’s "The Beat." His stage credits include "Aven’U Boys," for which
he won an Obie Award, "The King of Connecticut," "The Talk," "The Alarm’
and "The Summer Winds." Pugliese currently teaches playwriting and screen-
writing at Columbia University.
