Bowling for Columbine 2002

In his thought-provoking documentary, Michael Moore engages in a series of candid discussions with a diverse array of individuals, including the ingenious mind behind South Park, Matt Stone (Matt Stone), the then-president of the National Rifle Association, Charlton Heston (Charlton Heston), and the enigmatic musician Marilyn Manson. Through these conversations, he endeavours to unravel the complex web of factors that contributed to the tragic Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999, which was carried out by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. The film’s title originates from a peculiar anecdote about the two perpetrators, who reportedly attended a school bowling class at 6:00 a.m. that morning before unleashing havoc at 11:19 a.m. However, subsequent investigations revealed that this account was likely an error, and Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were actually absent from school on the fateful day.

Undeterred by this discovery, Michael Moore cleverly weaves the bowling theme throughout his documentary. For instance, he captures the Michigan militia using bowling pins as targets during their training exercises. When interviewing former classmates of Eric and Dylan, Moore notes that they had opted for a bowling class instead of physical education, raising concerns about its educational value. The girls he spoke to generally concurred, sharing anecdotes about how Eric and Dylan led isolated lives and approached the game with reckless abandon, which did not raise any alarm among their peers.

Moore also visits a local bowling alley in Oscoda, Michigan, where he speaks with two young residents and learns that obtaining firearms is relatively straightforward in this small town. Interestingly, Eric Harris had spent part of his childhood in Oscoda while his father was serving in the U.S. Air Force.

As Michael Moore delves deeper into the issue, he draws parallels between gun ownership and gun violence in various countries, concluding that there is no direct correlation between the two. In search of the underlying cause of America’s gun culture, he discovers a pervasive atmosphere of fear fostered by both government and media. He argues that this climate of fear encourages Americans to arm themselves, inadvertently benefiting the gun manufacturers.

Moore also pokes fun at the notion that bowling could be as culpable for the school attacks as Marilyn Manson or even President Bill Clinton’s military interventions around that time, highlighting the absurdity of such claims. Through his documentary, Michael Moore masterfully weaves together diverse perspectives to shed light on the complex issues surrounding gun ownership and violence in America.

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Moore’s journey begins with an unexpected surprise at a bank in Michigan, where customers are enticed to make a sizeable deposit into a time deposit account in exchange for a brand new Weatherby hunting rifle. The scene unfolds as Moore walks into the bank, fills out the necessary forms, and waits patiently for a background check to clear before leaving the premises with his newly acquired firearm. In a humorous aside, he playfully queries, “Do you think it’s a little reckless handing out guns at banks?”

As the story progresses, an eclectic montage unfolds set to the iconic Beatles tune “Happiness Is a Warm Gun”. The visual narrative weaves together disparate threads of gun culture, showcasing individuals purchasing firearms, residents of Virgin, Utah, proudly brandishing their weapons due to a local ordinance mandating gun ownership. Other scenes depict people firing rifles at shooting ranges and carnivals, as well as a visually impaired gun enthusiast Carey McWilliams, Denise Ames operating an assault rifle, and Gary Plauche exacting justice against his son’s kidnapper Jeff Doucet.

The film also explores the darker side of gun culture by referencing several high-profile incidents, including Budd Dwyer’s suicide, Emilio Nuñez’s murder of his ex-wife Maritza Martin during a live television interview on Telemundo’s Ocurrió Asi in 1993, and Daniel V. Jones’ self-inflicted demise.

In the midst of this exploration, Moore draws parallels between the violent behavior exhibited by the Columbine shooters and the presence of a large defense establishment manufacturing rocket technology near the location. He implies that the normalization of institutionalized violence as a means to resolve conflicts might have contributed to the mindset leading up to the tragedy. To drive this point home, Moore conducts an interview with Evan McCollum, Director of Communications at a Lockheed Martin plant near Columbine High School, posing the thought-provoking question:

“So you don’t think our kids say to themselves, ‘Dad goes off to the factory every day, he builds missiles of mass destruction. What’s the difference between that mass destruction and the mass destruction over at Columbine High School?’”

McCollum’s response underscores the disconnect between the two forms of mass destruction: “I guess I don’t see that specific connection because the missiles we’re talking about were designed to defend us from aggressors, whereas the mass destruction at Columbine was…different.”

The montage then segues into a more upbeat tone with Louis Armstrong’s iconic rendition of “What a Wonderful World”.

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As the documentary delves deeper into the complexities of American foreign policy, it presents a striking juxtaposition of historical events that challenge the notion of an innocent United States. A poignant montage unfolds, set to Louis Armstrong’s iconic “What a Wonderful World,” with a deliberate intent to debunk the idea that the country has always played the role of benevolent global leader. The on-screen text paints a stark picture of the consequences of U.S. involvement in international affairs:

The 1953 overthrow of Prime Minister Mohammed Mosaddeq of Iran, followed by the installation of Shah as dictator, serves as a precursor to the devastating pattern of U.S.-backed coups and interventions that would unfold in subsequent decades. The 1960s saw the United States backing the assassination of South Vietnamese President Diem and participating in the Vietnam War, which claimed an estimated four million lives.

The 1970s witnessed the U.S.-staged 1973 Chilean coup d’état, resulting in the assassination of democratically-elected President Salvador Allende and the installation of dictator Augusto Pinochet. This period also saw the killing of 5,000 Chileans, while the United States trained and funded the Contras in Nicaragua, claiming 30,000 Nicaraguan lives.

The 1980s brought further instability, as the U.S. provided $3 billion to train Osama bin Laden and fellow terrorists to kill Soviets, and later gave billions of dollars’ worth of aid to Saddam Hussein for weapons to kill Iranians. In 1989, the United States invaded Panama, removing Manuel Noriega from power, resulting in 3,000 Panamanian civilian casualties.

The 1990s saw Iraq invade Kuwait with weapons supplied by the U.S., followed by a U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and reinstatement of the dictator of Kuwait. The Clinton administration’s bombing campaign in Sudan turned out to be targeting an aspirin factory, rather than a possible weapons facility. Furthermore, American planes continued to bomb Iraq on a weekly basis from 1991 until present day, resulting in an estimated 500,000 Iraqi child deaths due to bombing and sanctions.

In the early 2000s, the United States provided Afghanistan’s Taliban regime with $245 million in aid, only for Osama bin Laden to use his CIA-trained expertise to carry out the devastating September 11 attacks that claimed 3,000 lives. The documentary concludes this montage with handheld-camera footage of the second WTC plane crash, set against a backdrop of hysterical reactions from witnesses.

In a striking contrast, the film explores the “Climate of Fear” prevailing in the United States by juxtaposing it with Canada’s attitude towards gun ownership and security concerns. By visiting neighborhoods near the Canada-U.S. border, Moore reveals that front doors remain unlocked and crime is viewed as a minimal threat, illustrating his thesis on the stark differences between the two nations’ approaches to security.

As the montage of social pundits’ statements on gun violence unfolds, a chorus of voices emerge, each offering their own theory as to why the United States is plagued by this scourge. Some point to the pervasive influence of violent media - television, cinema, and computer games - while others claim that Marilyn Manson’s provocative persona holds some responsibility. However, as the discussion progresses, it becomes clear that a certain rock icon has become an unlikely lightning rod for blame.

Moore takes his investigation further by engaging in a candid conversation with Manson himself backstage at one of his concerts. The rocker’s views on American society are nothing short of incendiary, painting a picture of a nation driven by fear and consumption. He cites the ubiquitous commercials that prey on our deepest insecurities - “if you have bad breath, people won’t talk to you” - as well as the media’s penchant for scapegoating instead of confronting the true culprits. When Moore asks Manson what he would say to the students at Columbine, the rocker’s response is both poignant and telling: “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.”

As Moore delves deeper into his climate of fear thesis, he begins to explore other popular explanations for America’s gun violence epidemic. He examines the role of Marilyn Manson himself as a potential catalyst, but notes that Germany - a country with a far greater Goth population than the United States - listens to more of his music and yet experiences significantly less gun violence (381 incidents per year). Similarly, he points out that other countries enjoy violent movies and video games, just as Americans do, yet their gun-related death rates are significantly lower. The United Kingdom, for instance, has a violent history akin to the United States’, yet its gun death rate is a fraction of America’s.

Ultimately, Moore’s investigation leads him to conclude that America’s violent past may be a significant factor in the country’s high gun violence rate - but he also acknowledges that this violent history is not unique to the United States. In fact, other countries with similar violent histories - Germany, France, and the UK - have far lower rates of gun-related deaths.

As Moore presents his findings, he does so in stark contrast against a backdrop of stark statistics:

United States - 11,127 (3.601/100,000)

Germany - 381 (0.466/100,000)

France - 255 (0.389/100,000)

Canada - 165 (0.484/100,000)

United Kingdom - 68 (0.109/100,000)

Australia - 65 (0.292/100,000)

Japan - 39 (0.030/100,000)

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As Moore embarks on a mission to confront the American superstore K-Mart headquarters in Troy, Michigan, he brings along two Columbine victims, Mark Taylor ( actor’s name ) and Richard Castaldo. The duo’s objective is seemingly innocuous - to claim a refund for the bullets still lodged in their bodies. However, their presence has a profound impact on the store’s policies. After a series of attempts to sidestep the issue, a K-Mart spokesperson eventually concedes, agreeing to phase out the sale of handgun ammunition. This decisive turn of events comes after Moore and the victims make a bold statement by purchasing all available ammunition at a nearby K-Mart store, only to return the next day accompanied by members of the media. In a moment of stunned triumph, Moore exclaims, “We’ve won.” The significance of this achievement is not lost on him.

In a pivotal interview, Moore pays a visit to Charlton Heston (actor’s name) in his Hollywood home, seeking an intimate and unflinching conversation about American firearm violence. Heston’s lengthy response touches upon the notion that the United States has a unique history of violence and a complex multicultural society, which he believes contributes to the alarming rise in violent crime. When Moore requests Heston apologize for leading NRA rallies in Flint following the Buell Elementary School shooting and in Littleton after Columbine, Heston is taken aback and slightly irritated. He asserts that neither he nor the NRA is responsible for gun violence in America and reiterates the mantra that “guns don’t kill people… the wrong people who have guns do.” Heston emphasizes that every American has the fundamental right to bear arms.

As Moore presses on, asking pointed questions about Heston’s role in NRA rallies and his opposition to handgun control laws, the actor becomes increasingly agitated. Ultimately, Heston terminates the interview, instructing Moore and his film crew to vacate his property.