Bowling For Columbine [DVD] [2002]

Revered by the little people, feared by the corporates and getting right up Charlton Heston's gun barrel, America's favourite whistle blower Michael Moore has armed himself with his own secret weapon – humour - to create this engaging, entertaining and thought-provoking documentary. Starting point is the harrowing 1999 Columbine High School massacre – in which 13 students were murdered. Before the two fellow students responsible carried out their killing spree, they had gone bowling...

The opening scenes sees Moore, sporting his trademark baseball cap, casually open an account in a US bank which offers 'more bang for your buck!' (those who open an account there receive a free rifle in return). Moore's first question on obtaining his new firearm: 'Um... do you think it's a little dangerous handing out guns in a bank?'.

The documentary goes on to explore America's trigger-happy society – a country in which around 11,000 people die annually as a result of gun violence – throwing up some chilling stories along the way: the murder of a six-year-old girl by a six-year-old boy; Columbine High School survivors still embedded with bullets bought over the counter at K-Mart; and the town of Virgin, Utah, that has passed a law requiring all residents to own guns...

Moore also aims his camera at Charlton Heston in the Oscar-winning actor's high-profile role as president of the NRA (National Rifle Association). 'Chuck' and his fellow fervent pro-gun lobbyists have developed a habit of organising their rallies on the spot of school shootings before victims have barely been mourned.

Born, rather ironically, in Flint, Michigan, Moore share's the same birthday – 23 April, 1954 – with political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal, whose release is another cause close to his leftist heart. Author of bestseller Stupid White Men and creator of satirical television series, the Emmy-winning TV Nation and The Awful Truth, Moore made his major breakthrough in 1989 with the documentary Roger & Me. Made from funds raised by organising neighbourhood bingo games in his house, the film follows the anti-corporate crusader in his fruitless attempts to invite the chairman of General Motors, Roger Smith, out for a few beers. And, in his film The Big One (1997), Moore succeeds in securing a face-to-face interview with Nike CEO Phil Knight, famously challenging him on his company's shoes being produced by children in factories in Indonesia. Just a matter of months after the film's release, Nike raised the minimum age of workers in factories to 18. Bowling for Columbine also secures a similar coup during its making.

Unanimous winner of the Special Jury Prize at 2002’s Cannes Film Festival (the first time in 46 years a documentary has been accepted into competition at the festival), it’s world première on 17 May, 2002 was followed by a 13-minute standing ovation. And earlier this year, with Heston in the audience, Moore controversially picked up the Oscar for Best Documentary at the Academy Awards. Essential viewing.

The focus is primarily about gun ownership, and some history of gun laws, in the USA. Columbine High School is used as one of the illustrative examples of how and why the current legislation is not a good thing.
Some coverage is provided about the culture surrounding gun ownership, and the culture of fear that seems prevelant in american media over recent years. As a regular viewer of american news services (thank-you digital tv :-), I can attest to the accuracy of this coverage in comparison to that provided in europe. Michael Moore provides his own comparison - to media coverage of events in Canada. Also, some interesting insights from Marilyn Manson (who rose considerably in my estimation), which seem especially relevant as we sit on the cusp of Gulf War 2.
Something which was clear to me from Moore's attempts to speak to someone senior in K-Mart, was that without making a fuss, and turning up without an attending media circus, no-one seemed particularly interested in listening to him and the students he was with. It seemed that only when revenue was potentially affected by bad press, was anyone prepared to take any form of action at all.

The closing interview with Charlton Heston, and indeed some of his actions as president of the NRA, leaves one wondering how people of this ilk can sleep at night. Perhaps it's the loaded weapon under the pillow that does it for them, which I find as disturbing as some of the other images presented liberally throughout the documentary.

I speculate that there are those in the USA who will not take well to this. However, I felt that the documentary was well thought through, and presented a good case for attempting to remove guns from the population at large. It may also help a few people consider how a large number of people in europe view the USA.
There's a lot more I could say about this, but you really are better seeing this for yourself. There's plenty in there to make you laugh, but there's even more that you'll watch from behind your hands in disbelief. You can be laughing one minute, and very misty eyed the next. You absolutely, positively must see this.