The people who react that way to being shot from the front or side are movie stuntmen. Of course, in such cases they aren't actually being shot. So, yes, your eyes are lying.
If ever I am called to account for the use of a firearm, may the Lord spare me from a trial by jurors whose whole understanding of firearms is shaped by TV and movies.
This.
The most potent force acting on a person who has been shot is gravity.
JFK’s unsupported center of gravity was forward and to the right. Once his central nervous system was turned off, physics took over.