Bowling for Columbine **** (2002, dir Michael Moore) – Classic Movie Review 1377

‘Are we a nation of gun nuts or are we just nuts?’

Writer-director Michael Moore’s gripping, provocative, chilling 2002 Oscar-winning documentary explores America’s love affair with firearms in the wake of two kids massacring 13 people at Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999.

Going beyond public opinion to research corporate and political influence, the indefatigable Moore is on the case of a supermarket chain that sells ammo to anyone over 16, finds a bank that gives a gift of a free rifle to new customers, and interviews Charlton Heston, chairman of the US National Rifle Association, as well as a surprisingly thoughtful rock star Marilyn Manson.

It’s fascinating to compare this documentary with Gus Van Sant’s fictionalised film about the Columbine massacre, Elephant (2003).

http://derekwinnert.com/elephant-2003-dir-gus-van-sant-classic-movie-review-1373/

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1377

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com/