A Shot Through the Wall offers a third alternative on an issue traditionally seen literally in black-and-white terms. Casting a lead of Chinese descent couldn't be more natural for writer/director Aimee Long, but there's more to this decision than just ethnic identification; accordingly, police officer Mike Tan (Kenny Leu) is not limited by his cultural heritage: his partner who may or may not also be his best/only friend, Ryan Doheney (Derek Goh), is white; his fiancée Candace Walker (Ciara Renée) is biracial; and his superior and future father-in-law D.C. Walker (Clifton Davis) is African-American. This carefully constructed microcosm comes tumbling down when, chasing a suspect through the hallways of an apartment building, Mike accidentally shoots through a wall and the stray bullet fatally lodges in one of the tenants, with part of the incident, including Mike’s and Ryan’s faces, being recorded on another tenant’s cell phone. In theory, Mike will not face any consequences other than emotional and psychological ones; after all, “It's hard to prove [criminal] intent when you shoot someone through a wall.” This is, however, where Mike's ethnicity comes into play on different levels; story-wise, “The [police] department needed a scapegoat, they needed someone to throw to the wolves, so they found someone who they thought was expendable,” and storytelling-wise, Long needs a protagonist capable of generating pathos – something that would have been tantamount to a Herculean task had the protagonist been white. A Caucasian hero would have been a distraction, and made the movie feel apologetic; as it turns out, taking sides is far from Long’s intention. This film is not black, white, blue or – at the risk of sounding politically incorrect – yellow; it’s not about the colors that divide us, but about two things that make us human: fallibility and accountability. As much as Mike, apart from his possible incompetence when drawing his gun, may or may not deserve to be in this predicament, once being in it, he must make difficult decisions (e.g., use his girlfriend’s blackness in his favor) that could mean the difference between going to prison and going free; the question is, could Mike live, even in freedom, with the ramifications of his deliberate actions, or would it be easier to face the repercussions of a random act in exchange for a clear conscience? (the climax of A Shot Through the Wall is a bit of a cop-out, but it allows for a powerful final shot involving Mike's mother and that of his accidental victim).
Revealed How to Poison a Planet 2024 - Movies (Apr 28th)
Branching Out 2024 - Movies (Apr 28th)
The Assembly 2024 - Movies (Apr 28th)
Dora Say Hola to Adventure! 2023 - Movies (Apr 28th)
Boy Kills World 2023 - Movies (Apr 28th)
Curious Caterer Foiled Plans 2024 - Movies (Apr 27th)
Robert De Niro Hiding in the Spotlight 2023 - Movies (Apr 27th)
Clockwork Orange The Prophecy 2023 - Movies (Apr 27th)
Madame Web 2024 - Movies (Apr 27th)
Mean Girls 2024 - Movies (Apr 27th)
The Fall Guy 2024 - Movies (Apr 27th)
The Idea of You 2024 - Movies (Apr 27th)
The Doomsday Cult of Antares de la Luz 2024 - Movies (Apr 25th)
Sayen The Hunter 2024 - Movies (Apr 26th)
You Can Call Me Bill 2023 - Movies (Apr 27th)
Breaking Olympia The Phil Heath Story 2024 - Movies (Apr 26th)
Cash Out 2024 - Movies (Apr 26th)
Infested 2023 - Movies (Apr 26th)
All India Rank 2023 - Movies (Apr 26th)
Hack Your Health The Secrets of Your Gut 2024 - Movies (Apr 26th)
Humane 2024 - Movies (Apr 26th)
Inside with Jen Psaki - (Apr 28th)
Mammals - (Apr 28th)
MotoGP Unlimited - (Apr 28th)
Be My Guest with Ina Garten - (Apr 28th)
Girl Meets Farm - (Apr 28th)
The SmackDown LowDown - (Apr 28th)
Blue Ridge - (Apr 28th)
Krempoli - A Place For Wild Children - (Apr 28th)
Earth Odyssey with Dylan Dreyer - (Apr 28th)
Ninja Kamui - (Apr 28th)
Horrible Histories - (Apr 28th)
LEGO Masters - (Apr 28th)
All Elite Wrestling- Rampage - (Apr 28th)
Harlem Globetrotters- Play It Forward - (Apr 28th)
The Kelly Clarkson Show - (Apr 28th)
ROH On HonorClub - (Apr 28th)
All Elite Wrestling- Collision - (Apr 28th)
Marvels Spidey and His Amazing Friends - (Apr 28th)
Comedy Class by Éric and Ramzy - (Apr 28th)
Restoration Road With Clint Harp - (Apr 28th)