Bowling for columbine

Michael Moore's incendiary film about America and its gun culture.

Moore uses the Columbine school massacre as an opportunity to discourse upon the subject of why tragedies like that one are so much more prevalent in America than anywhere else. His thesis, that America promotes a culture of fear and violence, is hard to refute, even if you disagree with his methods. Like all of Moore's films, "Bowling for Columbine" is fantastically entertaining, and also enraging. His version of America is one that I'm ashamed to live in.

Moore won the 2002 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, and then eliminated the chance that he'll ever win again by ranting against then President Bush in his acceptance speech in one of the Academy's most infamous moments.

Grade: A

The scenes shot in Sarnia, Windsor and Toronto, Canada have provoked much conversation in Canada. These scenes epitomize both the problem and the strength of BFC, that is, the sense is correct but the details often exaggerated. While the received notion that Canada is less violent than the US is accurate, we are catching up in a hurry. And people do lock their doors, at night anyway. In Toronto's current (Nov. 2003) mayoralty election, increasing street violence and crime is a major issue. When Moore asks Heston, "Why do other countries have so much less gun violence than the US?" Did you catch his brief answer? He says, "They will". Whatever is causing the problem, the U.S. is on the leading edge of the curve, but other countries are catching up.

That said, I give Moore credit for provoking conversation, for his humour (in spots). His lack of balance doesn't concern me. I can find my own balance, thank goodness for dissent and free speech. I also think that Moore is restrained in drawing conclusions in the film, which is a great strength of the film, in provoking discussion, and allowing people to express their own opinions.

Finally, Moore is way off on Marilyn Manson. Moore is careful to say that there is no direct causal relationship between Lockheed and the Columbine assassins - it's a mentality thing. Isn't the connection between Manson and teenage suicide/ violence much more palpable than Moore's connection of Lockheed & Columbine.

** UPDATE in Nov. 2005 - regarding Toronto, the score is Heston 1 Moore 0.

This movie makes me feel that it is the first time i just remotely understand the American society. Michael Moore explores the darkest side of America - the society built on fear. Fear of terrorists, fear of the coloureds fear of your neighbor. It appears that americans have lost perspective, not noticing the real dangers of life: pollution, traffic, e.t.c. With TV-channels telling stories only about violence and terrorism and populistic politicians scaring people to vote for them Americans trust only in themselves.

Michael Moore tries with this movie to make the Americans consider and think for themselves being rationals, and to tell the rest of the world how the American society works. Really something to think about... See it, its necessary

The two high school students made infamous for their rampage at Columbine were rumored to have been at a bowling class at the school the morning of the shooting. It turned out to be urban legend, but Moore kept the catchy title, anyway. There seems to be no in between in regards to the filmmaker. I flat out love his work, all the way back to Roger and Me, and his TV shows, TV Nation and The Awful Truth. Here he takes on the NRA and Charleton Heston, or Moses, as he is best remembered, as he was the chief spokesman for the gun rights organization. As a gun owner, living in a secluded area, even I recognize the need for proper screenings and some restrictions on firearms.

As usual, Moore uses sardonic humor to make his point. At a bank in Colorado, he is given a hunting rifle for purchasing a CD. As he leaves the bank with the weapon, he asks, don't you think it's a little dangerous handing out guns at a bank? The high point is when Moore interviews Heston, asking him about the high level of gun violence, and Chuck answers that the reason is "race mixing" in America. This was seen by some as an ambush; I see it as Moore capturing the actors true feelings, and they are frightening. RIP Charlie boy.

Bowling for Columbine is both informative and entertaining, and Moore is our best documentary filmmaker. Look out, Dittoheads, the truth hurts.

I like Michael Moore's documentaries. Bowling for Columbine seems a little successful than Fahrenheit 9/11 for me. The background is the shooting violence affair in Columbia High School. Michael figured it out through different attitude of US citizens about this violence affair. He made issues of guns as the original problem in US violence.

In my personal opinion, this movie revealed that people transit a mood of insecurity. And all these bad things came from guns. Due to the idea throughout seemed to be the inherent evil with guns it was obvious from the questions asked that this isn't really true. Maybe there is a possibility, which shows American gun culture that people have their right and freedom to protect themselves, even they have power to fight against government in order to press somebody powerful. As a Chinese, I think if this gun-allowed policy was used in China, it will be a worse trouble, since Chinese government was controlled by only one party, their policy serviced for themselves, there are a lot of unstable things in society. If people have right to use guns, killing will happen everywhere.