Review: Noah Wyle turns patient in the timely gun drama ‘Shot’

A strong, empathetic turn by Noah Wyle as a chance shooting victim anchors the absorbing and authentic “Shot,” helmed by veteran film and TV director Jeremy Kagan from a script by Will Lamborn and Anneke Campbell (story by Kagan).

This vital tale involves sound mixer Mark (Wyle), who’s hit in the chest by a stray bullet while standing on a Los Angeles street with his wife, Phoebe (Sharon Leal). A propulsive, you-are-there journey from ambulance to hospital emergency room follows as paramedics, nurses and physicians furiously work, at times in graphic detail, to keep Mark alive.

Then there’s 17-year-old Miguel (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.), a good kid whose first gun, lent him by a cousin for protection from bullies, accidentally fired and struck Mark from afar. The horrified boy can’t inform the police, frozen by the potential legal — and familial — consequences.

The third act skips ahead five months where the effects of the shooting’s toll on Mark, his unsettled relationship with Phoebe, and the guilt-ridden Miguel converge in poignant and profound ways.

Kagan employs a purposeful, if at times distracting, use of split screen, along with subjective camera and mind’s-eye visuals to capture the story’s visceral and emotional tension. But it’s the fine acting and the film’s plea for sensible gun control that carry the day.

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‘Shot’

Not rated

Running time: 1 hour, 27 minutes

Playing: Laemmle Monica Film Center, Santa Monica

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