Review for ‘‘Headshot’’ by Pat Pascale

HEADSHOT follows the long tradition of films putting ultraviolence on the forefront and framing the protagonist as its remorseless, raving perpetrator, an agent of vengeance, purity, justice or protection, depending on their exact delusions in each story. Operating outside the system with the only tool allowed to them by their ideology and fringe social status, extreme violence, men such as Marco, Pascale's protagonist here, serve as a scathing critique of our institutions and their failures, be it during the 70s, as in a Clockwork Orange or Taxi Driver, or nowadays, as in HEADSHOT. The failure of education, the radicalization of young men, the skewed role of police in relation to the citizen in western democracies, as well as the rage felt by many and fuelled by the current living conditions and economic realities are all themes that lurk beneath the ultraviolent surface of Pascale's short.

Technically speaking, the short is enjoyable amateur content through and through. Made on a shoestring budget, its strong suit is definitely it's sarcasm, its deliberately over-the-top acting, and the seldom-seen first person action POV, that seems to pay homage to a slew of videogames that, within the last 30 years, have attempted and succeeded at the same exact critiques of society through extreme violence and extremist male protagonists. On the other hand, that of the surface-level examination, it's a lot of fun, and obviously made with heart. Soundtrack choices are on point, and despite visual flaws and technical shortcomings, the short never punches above its weight.

To conclude, HEADSHOT is short, sweet, gory, and most of all, smart. Smart with its capabilities and limitations, smart with its acting, smart with the messaging, and most of all, smart in crafting good, contained action and being honest through and through. Giving Pascale a big budget and watching him break barriers is our take home message.