Strike! (Bowling for Columbine (DVD))

Member Name: Rosemarys Baby

Product:	Bowling for Columbine (DVD)
Date:	01/08/03 (91 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Informative, Factual, Hard Hitting

Disadvantages: No Frills, Length

This is certainly an eye opening film. It is the Oscar winning documentary about the popularity of guns in America and focuses on the massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado which killed 19 people and injured many more and the shooting of a 6 year old by another 6 year old in Michigan. The tagline of the film is 'Are we a nation of gun nuts or are we just nuts?' and it is very apt!

The general presentation of the film isn't classic Hollywood as it is just Michael Moore - who was VERY outspoken at the Oscars this year regarding the war in Iraq - and his crew walking around talking to people, this makes for slightly bumper camera action but is not on the Blair Witch scale! It is no frills which makes it all the more effective. It begins by saying how many Americans have guns and why they have guns. A resounding number of the people say that they have them simply because the second amendment written over 300 years ago states that 'white man is entitled to posses a loaded firearm'. These people were then asked how many loaded guns they had in their house and the majority of them had several, yet none of them had ever fired any if them so it came down to the question are they necessary?

Marilyn Manson, who's music was blamed for the Columbine shooting was interviewed and asked what he would say to the Shooters if they were still alive. (Following their shooting spree they turned the guns on themselves at he school) He responded by saying he would not say anything but listen to what they had to say because no one had done that. He also said that at the end of the day he was a rock and roll singer and if they were going to blame music then they should not ignore the violence depicted in TV and Films. There was a media frenzy regarding this at the time that demanded to know who was responsible for the actions of the boys who committed the shootings.

The bullets used in the Columbine shootings were purchased from a
K Mart store a few blocks away from the school. Michael Moore and two students who had been shot during the massacre from the school - one of which was now paralysed - to the headquarters of K mart and asked why they sold bullets so readily to the public. They informed the press when K mart proved difficult to interview and returned with them later on and held a press conference during which K mart said it would cease the sales of ammunition within 90days. Michael Moore and the boys were delighted with this result - it was the first step along a very long road to restrict gun availability and usage with the United States.

There is a cartoon in the middle of the film that documents in a nutshell how the Ku Klux Klan and the National Rifle Association, NRA, were formed. This is a pro gun group that have a very large following and cult like status. The chairman of the NRA is Charlton Heston and footage is shown from numerous conferences around the States. A conference was held in Columbine a week after the massacre and another in flint, Michigan a week after the 6-year-old girl was shot dead. When interviewed at his home later Charlton Heston said that he was unaware of the coincidences of bad timing before walking out.

The statistics of gun-related deaths in many countries are compared - Germany 235, Canada 68, Great Britain 65, Australia 35 and the United States........11,600!!
It tells you facts regarding the ease at which a guns and bullets can be purchased in the United States and continually asks who is to blame for such high levels of gun crimes and shootings. They found that equal numbers of Canadians as Americans had guns and asked members of the public why their murder rate and gun crime rates were so much lower, no-one could provide a definitive answer.

The purpose of this film was to educate and by extension shock the public with the facts regarding guns in America. It is just shy of the 2-hour mark and feels a tad long t
owards the end. They want the need for guns to be less readily available to be recognised. Back to the tagline 'Are we a nation of gun nuts or are we just nuts?' this provides very good talking points long after the film has ended as everyone has a different opinion. It doesn't do America any favours public relations wise and it asks more questions than it answers but this could be due to the nature of the questions and the willingness of people to assign blame. It is a highly informative documentary that is very hard hitting and it does leave wondering whether or not it has made a difference.

Summary: