The plot is sort of an "everything-is-connected", three-story Pulp Fiction-esque riff, without the back-and-forth chronology. Each section introduces a new set of characters: in the first, Nate (Jason Mewes) and Kate (Samantha Lockwood); in the second, the Smith brothers, identified only as Fat (Nic Nac) and Thin Smith (Mike Hatton); and in the third, the somewhat menacing gangster Crazy Joe (Danny Trejo). Each tells a little story about the chapter's "leads" before introducing threads that will tie them all together, centered around some betrayals and a duffel bag full of cash that Crazy Joe would really like to see returned before the sun comes up.

Firstly, the unsung hero of the film is undoubtedly casting director Dominika Posserén, who not only rounded up a solid core cast, but has also peppered the limited supporting cast with familiar faces, such as Fred Williamson, Katie Morgan, Taylor Negron, and Nicholas Turturro. All of these guys are professional enough to give, at the very least, wholly adequate performances, allowing writer/director Christian Sesma to focus on other things. In particular, Nic Nac and Hatton actually manage to scrounge up some funny brotherly banter. Believable, off-the-cuff, slightly insulting back-and-forth is one of the hardest things to fake, but the pair do a good enough job to keep the second chapter rolling when nothing is going on.

Of course, "when nothing is going on" is the movie's biggest crutch. None of the mini-stories, particularly Nate and Kate's crumbling relationship and a weird mercenary military squad, are at all compelling or interesting. The battle between Nate and Kate quickly illustrates Kate as the bigger problem, which is a major problem when the filmmakers seem to think Nate saving the couple's love is going to be one of the movie's major storylines. The military group, on the other hand, is weirdly slapstick and barely explained; it's a group of trigger happy morons marching through a junkyard in the middle of the night, who apparently come off as threatening to the Smith boys. As the commander, Williamson adds brief gravitas, but he's clearly there to pick up a paycheck.

Just last week, I wrote about All American Orgy, which was a movie filled with horrible characters, hung on a solid clothesline. Shoot the Hero! has a motley crew of interesting characters with which to spin a feature length story, but it does more spinning of the wheels than anything. Still, Sesma's direction is capable, and he can round up a cast worth watching; assuming he gets a little help in the screenwriting department and tightens up his technique, maybe he can work his way up to the big leagues.

The DVD, Video and Audio
My copy of Shoot the Hero! arrived in a paper sleeve with a plain white label, so I cannot definitively assess the packaging, video, or audio on the disc as representative of the final retail release. However, a rough opinion of the 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation is that it looks good aside from incessant mosquito noise during dark scenes, while Dolby Digital 2.0 audio comes off a bit weightless during the action scenes but conveys the dialogue in perfectly adequate fashion. No subtitles, but the disc is closed captioned if your TV will generate them.

The Extras
A trio of production diaries (11:34) start things off on a pleasant foot, with friendly input from Sesma and his cast and crew. It's nice to see some behind-the-scenes footage that's refreshingly unintrusive, with only candid comments and a lack of footage from the film. From there, the disc switches gears with three Director's Diaries (14:25), which have Sesma recapping what they accomplished, with the help of cast and crew. They're a bit less interesting than the production diaries, and Sesma's summaries aren't all that informative, but they're still more entertaining than some behind-the-scenes material I've watched. Finally, two lacking-in-focus, sort of mediocre interviews with Sesma (9:17) and Mewes (2:39) -- an interview which Sesma eventually takes over -- and a photo gallery close things out.

A trailer for Restrepo plays before the main menu...you know, given the obvious cross-over between the audience for Shoot the Hero! and a war documentary. No trailer for Shoot the Hero! is included.

Conclusion
Shoot the Hero! is far from flawless, but it's not too bad either, and director Christian Sesma shows a bit of promise. I wouldn't run out to the video store or anything, but if you're a fan of Mewes or any of the other character actors peppering the film, a it'll make for a decent rental.