That unkempt, heavyset Midwesterner has done it again.
Michael Moore, the man responsible for the critically acclaimed Roger and Me, unleashes a new documentary this weekend. In Bowling for Columbine, Moore takes his audience on a no-holds-barred quest to find the root cause of our nation's disproportionately high murder rate.
A variety of images ranging from news footage to 1950s propaganda films are interwoven as Moore, who is himself a lifetime member of the NRA, ridicules and analyzes our modern American gun culture. To demonstrate the current level of absurdity, he opens an account at a bank that gives away free rifles to new customers on the spot. Firearm in hand, he asks a manager if he thinks it's a little dangerous to hand out weapons in a bank.
Moore returns to his home state for a trek though the woods with members of the Michigan Militia, an amicable group of outdoorsmen briefly associated with convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. Following the McVeigh connection, he pays a visit to Terry Nichols' brother James Nichols, a man who can't sleep without a pistol under his pillow. The interview becomes uncomfortable and awkward as Moore delves deeper into Nichols' psyche, implying questions about his mental stability. This leads to other questions, such as: Should blind people be allowed to own firearms? Is there a reasonable balance between reactive and proactive law enforcement? There are no easy answers to the questions raised throughout the film, and the filmmaker doesn't overtly presume to have
Moore does suggest that Canada may have the solution. A good portion of the film focuses on Canadian gun culture. His inquiring mind wants to know why their citizens own guns, yet aren't offing each other in record numbers. He makes no attempt to hide how he feels about the discrepancy. The country depicted on screen is a slightly less temperate Garden of Eden. In fact, Moore venerates our northern neighbors to such a degree that one has to wonder if the film was backed by the Canadian tourism industry.
After a brief string of man-on-the-street vox pops, Moore concludes that all Canadians have adopted a no-worries attitude, effectively immunizing themselves to the causes of American violence. While this is hardly a scientific survey, he presents some evidence that the average U.S. gun owner is far more fearful and jumpy than his northern counterpart. After examining history, race, commercialism and the mass media, Moore is determined to find out who or what is responsible for generating this uniquely American culture of fear.
The film's startling title refers to the early morning activities of teenagers Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris before they embarked on a killing spree that claimed the lives of 12 of their classmates in 1999. Moore takes two survivors (both have bullets still embedded in their bodies, and one is now paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair) along for a surprise attack on K-Mart, where the killers purchased their bullets. In a moment that is equal parts closure, revenge and vindication, the victims confront the Kmart executives, who - when faced with the media scrutiny - pledge to end the sale of ammunition in Kmart stores.
The film occasionally digresses into cutesy tangents like South Park's School House Rock-ish history of the United States. That time could be better spent digging deeper into the larger, more serious issues of race or the American fear culture. The surfaces of many issues are scratched, each worthy of its own documentary. The films comedic pit-stops were likely added simply to make the bitter pill a little easier to swallow.
Digressions or no digressions, you can't accuse Moore of boring his audience. He makes sure we remain entertained and engaged. He discusses some tough topics with American pop icons Matt Stone and Marilyn Manson, both of whom have something worthwhile to contribute. And Moore has never been one to shy away from controversy (he once directed a Rage Against the Machine video during which he was arrested as the band incited the crowd to storm the New York Stock Exchange). The audience braces for impact when Moore confronts Charleton Heston in his own home.
It's clear that Moore is not above emotional manipulation or political smear. It would be unfair, however, to simply dismiss Bowling for Columbine as nothing more than left-wing propaganda. Despite a few premature conclusions, it's an entertaining and thought-provoking film that deserves cogitation. And considering the recent shooting spree near our nation's capital, it couldn't have come at a more relevant time.
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