Saw Michael Moore’s Bowling For Columbine. The documentary explores the reasons for the Columbine High School Massacre and high incidence of gun violence in the USA. There are both supporters and opposers of guns in the USA. Moore tries to talk to people on both sides including the NRA. He also tries to compare USA with Canada (which has a similar guns policy but way lesser gun violence) and other European countries. It is quite unsettling to be able to see that guns and ammunition can be bought over the counter at stores like Wal-Mart or KMart. The film also tries to see if there is a connection between violent video games and music to such acts. The overarching reason turns out to be fear. Americans live in a constant state of fear. They are kept in this state by their media, politicians and the various wars they wage on the new terrorists who are invented just for the public every decade or so. The movie is eye opening, but just like Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 it wallows in disorganized details.
Wondering how the movie title is related to the Columbine massacre? The killer students are supposed to have gone bowling in the morning before their rampage. So, Moore sarcastically argues that in addition to the claimed reasons for their violence like video games and music, bowling also could’ve triggered their hate.
Rating: 3/4