Review of Bowling for Columbine (2002) by Stevenf — 07 Sep 2013

The dark and comic tone of "Bowling for Columbine" attempts to outline the seriousness of its content, through its condescending questions to various citizens and first hand look at some unimaginable situations, the film is a look at the simplicity of picking up a firearm in America, writer, investigator, director and the sarcastic Michael Moore narrates various facts about the National Rifle Association, the pro-gun movement, he interviews some of the most colourful individuals on screen, including a young man who sleeps with a gun under his pillow and a young man who makes his own bombs, including homemade napalm.

The title refers to the tragic actions of two gun-wielding and bomb-making students who massacred students and teachers in Columbine High School, after a carefully orchestrated attack, an event that made people question gun control in the United States. We then see a video collage with words to various deals and decisions that the American government has made over the years, giving weapons to a country they later invade, removing democratically elected presidents and replacing them with dictators, which ironically has Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" playing over it, a startling reminder of what those in power of capable of. We then see video footage of the Columbine tragedy, as a teacher makes a frantic call to the emergency services as the gunmen turned to face the room the caller was in. What happened after was equally as disturbing, the blames, security measures and segregation of children was quite unbelievable.

The film explores this blame and questions just what makes the Free World different from every other country, we share the same entertainment and pop culture variance, things which are blamed for these mass shootings, why does the rest of the world not have such a startling firearm death statistic as the USA. Moore has created a satirical view of serious issues that need addressed, he questions why larger issues are clouded by more menial ones, he also combines this with a perfect soundtrack, one which reflects the material on show, his interactions with a wide variety of people, from rural to urban areas of the States and even up to Canada, trying figure out the source if these problems, he puts the real problems right in "important" people faces and it's unfortunate to see such a cold reaction.

This is touching, disturbing and influential documentary that hits the problems where they hurt, but accepts the fact that it can't do enough to change a nation, little instances happen, but they are blips on a massive scale that barely matter.