Dir. Michael Moore, 2002, Can/US/Ger, 120 mins
Cast: Michael Moore, Charlton Heston, Marilyn Manson, George W Bush, Dick Cheney, Bill Clinton, Matt Stone, Adolf Hitler The first documentary to be selected for competition at Cannes for 46 years, and the winner of the 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, Bowling for Columbine is a double-edged attack on America's gun culture - a very funny and a very frightening film. From the outset, when we are introduced to the 'Michigan Militia', director and campaigner Michael Moore shows the shrewd eye for the ridiculous that has made him one of his country's leading satirical commentators. Although Moore exploits the comic-potential of gun-happy America to the full, he also effectively conveys its devastating consequences. Footage from the cafeteria of Columbine High, showing students diving under tables and running for the exit as the shootings begin, is heartbreaking, as is the testimony of the father whose son died. But whilst the mass media obsessed over why two children would do such a thing (were they evil or did they just listen to some terrible music?), Moore asks whey they were able to, why the 'right' to own guns prevails over the right to life. Moore suggests that while the boys listened to Marilyn Manson, they were also members of the bowling team, and as they went bowling on the morning of the massacre, this great American pastime might equally be blamed. The focus widens to explore the overt cause of America's gun-related deaths - the accessibility of guns and ammunition, sold in supermarkets, a free gift when you open a bank account - and considers in some depth the various social, corporate and political forces at work, as well as America's violent legacy overseas. Moore's criticism of the irresponsible and racially charged coverage of violent crime on television is particularly sharp. A compilation of clips from news and crime shows, culminating in a bizarre news item about an imminent invasion of 'Africanised bees', displays the fear and paranoia at the root of gun ownership. Moore has a brash charm but he is also a skilful interviewer. This skill is most apparent when he questions actor Charlton Heston, allowing the National Rifle Association figurehead to condemn himself. A lengthy documentary, Bowling for Columbine never flags. The quick-paced montage of interviews, newsreel, security footage and animation, shifts and develops the argument, and despite his depressing subject matter, Moore finds a lot of laughs along the way. Elizabeth Griffin |
