Movie Poster

If you were to talk directly to the kids at Columbine or the people in that community, what would you say to them if they were here now?

I wouldn't say a single word to them. I would listen to what they have to say, and that's what no one did.

# Review

Michael Moore takes on the highly controversial topic of gun violence in America. The context of the film is the aftermath of the Columbine High School massacre, where two students shot up the school with assault rifles, killing a dozen students and one teacher. Moore explores the culture of gun ownership in America, especially in regards to pop culture.

Moore pieces together vignettes of different aspects of gun ownership in America, from the National Rifle Association, the top gun lobby in America, to the Michigan Militia, who believe that being armed is an American duty. Throughout the vignettes, Moore demonstrates his skills as a filmmaker to depict an absurd and almost surreal culture of gun ownership in America. He also interviews the various people involved in the discussions, such as Marilyn Manson, who was scapegoated as one of the factors the two teens committed the Columbine massacre, and Charlton Heston, former actor turned then-president of the NRA. Moore is an amazing filmmaker; perhaps one of the most moving scenes of the film is the scene with the security footage of Columbine, with the 911 calls layered over.

While I do agree with the message of the film calling for greater gun control, I find Moore’s filmmaking to be greatly deceptive and highly political. For one, he cuts the film to depict scenarios that are inaccurate, such as interviewing Matt Stone, one of the creators of South Park, and then showing a cartoon video that resembles South Park when in reality Stone had nothing to do with the cartoon shown. Many of Moore’s arguments are also very politically charged and come off as nonsensical and rambling. For instance, Moore blames television producer Dick Clark for the murder of a six-year-old by a six-year-old, all because the boy's mother worked at one of Clark's restaurants in a welfare-to-work program. I find that the movie would’ve been much better if Moore focused on exploring a more nuanced view of the complex topic, instead of trying to insidiously shove his left wing views into the narrative and down the throats of his viewers.

# Conclusion

A well made movie but very deceptive, so one should do their own research on the topic.

# Overall rating: 7.3

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