By Eamonn Rockwell (November 28, 2002)
 

Michael Moore, the writer, director, and producer of Roger and Me, has now put out the most powerful film of the year. In his new film, Bowling for Columbine (which has little to do with bowling), Moore asks why Americans are so violent to themselves and others. The movie starts out with Moore going into a bank and starts an account so he can get the free rifle offered with every new account. After he gets the rifle, he asks the woman at the counter, "Isn't it kind of dangerous to give out guns in a bank?" The movie mentions the Columbine shooting in 1999, but also covers many other violent events, such as the Vietnam War, our government installing dictators and the starvation of millions in foreign lands.

Moore looks everywhere for someone to answer his question and finds that everyone uses someone else as a scapegoat. The politicians blame the music industry. The music industry blames the parents. The parents blame the video games, and on and on it goes. Moore interviews a person in every field that is blamed and ends up talking to Marilyn Manson, who is the most articulate person in the whole movie. He changes his subjects and themes often, going from specific events to society at large to racism to the "real" problems. Moore talks to a producer of the show "Cops" and asks why it seems like the police are always chasing down a minority. The producer says it's because they happen to be committing crimes where the police are and it sells to a large white audience.

This movie was very honest and made you leave the theater knowing more about gun issues and our society than you ever knew before. Some points of the movie are very disturbing, such as when videos of mass murders, riots, and bombings are shown while Louie Armstrong's version of "What a Wonderful World" is playing in the background. Bottom line: This movie is excellent, but not for people who are easily confused, or people with closed minds.