15 Devastating Documentaries That Mustn't Be Ignored

13. Bowling For Columbine (Michael Moore, 2002)

For a film made twelve years ago, this entry by controversial film-maker Michael Moore is as poignant and as important today as ever. Gun crime is as raw in the media and our minds today as it was then and a decade before, and a decade before that. Starting with the facts and mix in Moore's dark humour and needle sharp delivery, Bowling For Columbine offers a relevant and frightening look at America's obsession with fire arms. The film starts with Moore entering a bank and expressing his wish to open the "account that gets you a free gun", that he had spotted in a local newspaper. After a quick application, he leaves the bank, holding a rifle above his head. He's as stunned as the viewer. Surely guns aren't this accessible in one of the worlds most developed countries? Surely this is a joke? Shockingly, the jokes just keep coming as Moore investigates why his beloved country seem to be so obsessed with guns, exploring why Americans feel so passionate and are so insistent that they keep their rights to bear arms regardless of the rampant violence that so many are victim to. The fact is, this argument is going nowhere and gun crime in America continues to climb, and even now, this film highlights just how ridiculous that notion is in an engaging and entertaining way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH0mSAjp_Jw