Bowling For Columbine

Directed by Michael Moore

Released in 2002

Genre of Documentary, Crime and Drama

Themes of confrontation, tragedy, reality, society, violence

Bowling for Columbine isn't very flashy in it's cinematography or graphics (although it features a very well written and well made animated scene). It relies more on its thought provoking discussions and comparisons. Nearly every documentary is biased but it's hard to argue with a lot of the points that Moore makes and considering I hope to move to America one day, this hit especially hard for me. The film revolves around America and it's seeming obsession with gun crime and terribly irresponsible gun laws. Inspired by the Columbine high school massacre in which two teenagers armed to the teeth killed a dozen students and a teacher and then allegedly killed themselves. A further 24 victims were left injured. The film even features two victims from the massacre who were left scarred for life, one of which is left in a wheelchair.

The film holds a mirror to the entire global superpower that is America and forces the population to look at themselves in the eyes of the rest of the world. It often mentions the gun laws of other countries and questions why it is that America of all countries is the leader in high school shootings and gun related crime. This question is left without a definitive answer but towards the end, the president of the NRA (National Rifle Association) is confronted with the question and Michael Moore effectively shuts down every point that Charlton Heston attempts to make to the point where he leaves and refuses to answer anything more. It's hard to imagine somebody who played religious figures like Moses being the five-term president of the NRA.