REVIEW: It seems like a bad joke to say that documentarian Michael Moore's approach in this film about gun violence in America is scattershot, but that's just what it is. One minute he's showing how easy it is to buy a gun in Michigan (at some banks they give 'em away when you open an account), the next he's making a case for the idea that U.S. foreign policy made us sitting ducks, if not deserving targets, for September 11, and the next he's bemoaning welfare "reform" that forces single mothers to neglect their kids. Nevertheless, this movie is essential viewing, not just because Moore, as self-righteous as he can be, is one of the most entertaining propagandists alive, but because no matter how tenuously he makes his connections, all the issues he raises are vital. The version of the movie I saw was not final-and I assume this because it ends with a skewering of Charlton Heston that would now be taken as the baiting of an old man with Alzheimer's. I hope Moore doesn't have to do too much backpedaling, as the Heston that Moore confronts here has all of his wits about him, and hence deserves what he gets.
|
 |
Bowling for Columbine
Release Date: October 11
Starring: Michael Moore
Directed by: Michael Moore
|
Copyright © 2008 Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., Inc.