This two hour long documentary gives an important insight into the problems that plague america with it’s current gun laws. With shootings at an all time high, the documentary film maker Michael Moore gives an in-depth and shocking look at the circumstances that lead up to the tragic April 20, 1999 high school massacare at Columbine, Colorado.
Even as gun violence is escalating, there are still no serious calls from Washington to curb the problem, and indeed it is a hard issue to tackle. With pro-gun associations strong in the public eye such as the National Rifle Association, it would be a tough and potentially vote-loosing stance for any presidential candidate – even though serious reform is needed.
In Michael Moore’s characteristic style, he makes a good argument for reform of gun laws in the USA and highlights the potentially predatory timing of the National Rifle Association’s visits to counties affected by tragedies related to gun crime in the USA, by paying a visit to the then vice president Charlton Heston.
Moore asks some important questions – such as why even though Canada has seven million guns across ten million households, they don’t suffer the terrifying gun violence rates of the USA, and demonstrates how infused gun culture and the right to bear arms is still strong in the American psyche.
The majority of the footage is hand-held, shot in run and gun style, but aside from it’s lack of visual panache it’s won numerous awards such as the Independent Spirit Award for best documentary feature, Academy award for best documentary, a special 55th anniversary prize at 2002 Cannes film festival and the Cesar award for best foreign film.
You can read more about the film here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowling_for_Columbine
and the IMDB link is here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0310793/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Overall, with a rating of 8.0 on IMDB and 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, this is a film that is worth watching.