Bowling for Columbine

A searing look at an American society that lives in a paranoid atmosphere and a media that artificially creates an atmosphere of fear because fear, murder and horrific acts that sell well. Our own experience tells us that it’s not just the American media – just watch the news on commercial TV… It bothers me a little that there are moments where Moore slips into demagoguery, but there is a sincere desire to make a difference, and at times he succeeds. It also proves that a documentary can be much more engaging and entertaining than any feature film. The question is whether everything he reports here is truly objective, whether he is not trying to misrepresent. But anyway, there is something wrong with a society where you can buy ammunition as easily ice cream. (16.11.2003)

I don’t consider it a documentary. (18.06.2011)

Ein fesselnder Dokumentarfilm und ein subjektiver Bericht über die Lage in den Vereinigten Staaten, der bis zum Ende durchdacht und schrecklich wahrheitsgetreu ist. Während Moore seine parteiische Sicht auf das Problem der amerikanischen militanten Gesinnung präsentiert, sticht gerade dadurch das Bild der USA in seiner ganzen Hässlichkeit und Monstrosität hervor. Wenn nur ein Drittel des Films wahr wäre (und ich glaube, das ist es), dann bekäme das Orwellsche "Big Brother Being Bad" eine ganz neue Bedeutung. Und aus meiner Sicht hat er es verstanden. Eine Nation, die lernt, Freiheit um jeden Preis mit Gewalt durchzusetzen, wird nicht gut abschneiden. Und einer Welt, die eine solche Nation als Vorbild akzeptiert, wird es nicht so gut gehen... Ein ausgezeichneter Dokumentarfilm, schade nur, dass Moore manchmal ziemlich listig auf die typische emotionale Erpressung des Zuschauers zurückgreift. (30.01.2004)

Or what happens when a demagogue starts taking shots at people... Pure demagoguery wrapped in great opinionated black and white filmmaking. (18.09.2006)

Michael Moore is an incredibly skillful manipulator. He directs his facts precisely so that they serve his purpose, but it would be a shame to forget that there is more or less a grain of truth behind all of his conclusions. The author goes to great lengths and illuminates the bad side of America through hints that something is wrong with the simple possession of weapons, showing increasingly absurd situations that culminate in a blind man at the shooting range. And then he puts on his strongest ammunition - the high school event, which has tremendous power in the background of the phone recording. Columbine is stronger the more harsh jokes shine between the individual revelations. And in the end, the final impression remains chilling, terrifying, and quite telling. Five stars for bravery. It's just a pity that this success has overshadowed Moore's mind to the extent that he has decided to completely overthrow America with each of his subsequent works. (05.04.2006)

If Michael Moore avoided his traditional shortcomings, namely simplification, fabrication, and mystification, it would be a reliable five-star rating because the topic he processed is extremely urgent in America and most of the information painfully fits. Overall impression: 75%. Visually attractive documentary, albeit in somewhat populist packaging. (18.06.2006)

What's unbelievable is that the interviewees can't even react properly, even Paroubek can throw out some cardinal bullshit into the microphone on the spot, but here before that they go "nooo.... you know.... like I'm so sorry, like...but...I mean like condolences.... it's not my fault....eeee" and throw some godawful shit -) The biggest assholes yet are the assholes on here complaining about demagoguery. Wow, welcome out of the cave. Even a 5-year-old knows Moore is a leftist and a manipulator to boot. And he's not even that skillful, which is why I get the biggest kick out of comments like "watch out people, you morons have been manipulated into seeing the world through Moore's eyes. You are so stupid, we discovered it, but you didn't!". Only an idiot could really write that. It would be good to be clear that this documentary is for people with the same or similar views as the director, before you go making idiots of yourselves here. If I lived overseas, I'd probably go crazy over there. Moore has captured the source of the problem (media spreading irrational fears and all) quite aptly in my opinion (and you can see that he was kicked to it by Marilyn Manson), so I have nothing to complain about. Plus, I'm terribly happy that someone is finally standing up to the nonsensical claims that movies and games are to blame for all the violence in the world. Except for next time, I'd ask for less unnecessary emotional blackmail and pictures of cute little girls getting shot. (30.11.2010)

It felt a bit cheap how Michael Moore chose Charlton Heston as the sacrificial lamb here; there are surely others who could be blamed as well. However, one understands it when realizing that Heston was a public figure who expressed his views clearly. It’s another demonstration of how Moore can pick an interesting topic, go after it like a dog, and kind of launder your opinions and emotions. (14.10.2016)