Bowling for Columbine
In the documentary Bowling for Columbine, the film looks at the United States and points out the problems with gun control as the American people, at the time, gave away arms freely to anyone. The film is a chilling and humorous documentary from the provocative director Michael Moore. In the documentary, Michael Moore had turned the focus to the issue of gun violence in America. The documentary starts off with Michael Moore opening an account at a local bank that offered a free gun with any new account. The point being behind that part of the movie was to make the statement that even after massacres such as the Columbine shootings, that people still don’t get the realization that its not safe and not right to hand out free guns to people for no apparent reason. The documentary portrayed the stupidity and reason behind American’s who own guns and the danger we as Americans portray and don’t think about when it comes to gun control and making the world a safer place. His focus is gun violence, but mainly more towards the cowboy culture, the NRA, the staggering number of gun-related murders in our country. He provokes the American people to challenge the fact that there is nothing wrong with the American way. Starting in his home state of Michigan, he interviews members of a local militia and talks to the Oklahoma City Bomber Terry Nichols brother about Second Amendment issues. From there, he moves to Littleton Colorado, speaking with survivors of the Columbine tragedy, as well as figures such as Marilyn Manson, whose music was once cited as a factor in the Columbine massacre. He then shows us of the NRA's ill-conceived Denver rally, just a few days after the Columbine shootings.
This film fits into the genre of thrilling realistic documentaries. The film not only showed us what is wrong with America but also the kinds of people who are behind the problems. Michael Moore showed and challenged the fact that guns are something that needs to be handled more carefully. In my opinion the film struck me hard. The documentary displayed the fear of the Americans and the psychotic people out in the world who carry guns. Michael Moore showed problem and clearly showed how America handled the problem. Columbine was used as a way to get the point across that the American way of life is a way that harms and kills people. In the film, Michael Moore showed NRA rallies, and the people behind they’re corporations and how they use the violence as a way to put fear into the hearts and minds of the people, then telling them that everyone needs a gun to protect they’re families from the people who will attack them. Columbine was the point in time where America realized that guns are given away to freely in America and they end up in the hands of the wrong people. The film showed how America reacted and how, we as a country played the blame game and blamed anything violent for the reason and cause behind Columbine. The blame was put on violent music, video games, movies, and pictures.
Michael Moore was the director of the movie. His past works consist of Fahrenheit 9/11, and Sicko. His movies are based on problems in American society and how they affect the American people. His view on American politics are liberal and strictly for the people. In the documentary Bowling for Columbine he pointed out the views of the people and asked the question is anything going to get done about the frugality of guns in America.
In conclusion, the documentary Bowling for Columbine, filmed and directed by Michael Moore, was powerful, provocative, and brought up the good points about gun control in America. As a nation we lack in the area of keeping control over guns and to many massacres happen because guns end up in the wrong hands. In my opinion the movie hit me hard and helped me to realize my fear of guns and frugal our nation is with them. Since Columbine many more school shootings had taken place and more and more innocent people have died due to the lack of gun control. Michael Moore’s, Bowling for Columbine, should be a movie to think about.