Michael Moore is known as America's everyman, and he certainly looks the part. He knows how to ask questions and he knows how to open a bank account and get the free gun advertised with it. This documentary seems to be a personal quest. Moore was born in Flint, Michigan and most of the towns he visits have a link of some kind. Littleton, Flint, Columbine. What made two high school students - Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold - commit murder in April 1999? Off Michael goes to speak to students, to boys who may have known the murderers. Two boys who got up at 6am that day to bowl. The documentary increasingly becomes more involved than that, delving into the centre of American culture.
On the day of the murders a school and a hospital in Kosovo had been bombed by the US. Who gets blamed? Rock music in the form of Marilyn Manson, who turns out, after a chat with Moore, to be a lovely and articulate bloke. Coincidentally an NRA rally takes place the next day in Columbine and Charlton Heston is there. Then there is another tragedy involving 6 year olds in Flint, and another NRA rally takes place the next day. Moore finally gets to 'interview' Charlton Heston. Why did he have the rallies knowing the tragedies were happening there? Would he have had the rallies if he had known? Moore begins a journey to answer questions about the information he keeps unearthing. Why are there 11,000 gun murders a year in America? Can we blame K-Mart, who sell bullets? The Michigan Militia who want to protect their families? Fear? America's history of violence?
Moore uses live and sometimes shocking footage exposing America's aid to countries over the last decade. He has a very interesting conversation with Matt Stone, one of the creators of South Park. He crosses the border and speaks to Canadians and compares their television and politicians to America. He uses a bullet as a narrator to tell the history of America. Moore gets very involved in his journey and tries to find the answer he is looking for - why do Americans own so many guns and why do so many use them? Although I got the feeling that there was almost too much to take in and Moore's questions were often rather leading, he has produced a fascinating and disturbing account of America. This is the kind of film that people talk about. |
