Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9-11, and Sicko by Michael Moores - Movie Review Example

Michael Moore Introduction Michael Moore is an American filmmaker, political activist, and Moore has filmed a number of documentaries, including the notable Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11, and Sicko. The Bowling for Columbine was a significant success for Moore. The film won the Academy Award for the best documentary. The Fahrenheit 9/11, released in 2004, criticized how President Bush handled the September 11 terrorist attacks and the decision to engage in war with the Iraq. The documentary scooped the Golden Palm and had a huge audience. Similarly, the Sicko that critically examined the US health care industry was a success. The paper analyzes the Moore’s documentaries. Bowling for Columbine The Bowling for Columbine achieved significant success in the film industry and won the Academy Award. Released in 2002, the American documentary the acts of violence with firearms. The film focuses on the causes of the Columbine High School massacre in 1999. Michael Moore describes the magnitude of the use of guns by the Americans to kill one another in extraordinary frequency. Moore examined the America’s possession of firearms and obsession with the guns. The filmmaker captures the attention of the audience by employing techniques such as mixing riveting footage, candid interviews, and hilarious animation. The audience is able to listen to Moore’s interview with Charlton Heston, the then president of the National Rifle Association. Heston cannot respond to Moore when he asks why a man does not feel threatened by the loaded gun he keeps in his house. Such questions and the tragic scenes in the documentary provide compelling evidence that Americans treat guns as apple pies. The documentary indicates that the conventional answers that associate the availability of the firearms, violent games and entertainment, history of violence in the United States, and poverty to the frequent bloodshed are inadequate (Moore). The Bowling for Columbine shows many nations that have easy availability of the guns do not have the carnage equivalent to that of the United States. It is a fact that the United States has a high rate of gun-related homicide, which tends to be disproportionate to the nation’s population in comparison with other countries in the globe. However, the Bowling for Columbine discredits the ownership of the firearms as a primary cause of the violence. Instead, the documentary associates the selective and sensationalist media to the many cases of gun violence in the United States. The culture of fear that spirals downward into the dangerous and deep paranoia coupled with the increased sensationalist media is attributable to the high frequency of gun violence in the United States (Moore). Arguably, the government has promoted a culture of fear in people that prompts the Americans to acquire guns for protection. Moore’s interview with the former classmates of the two boys that committed homicide shows that students pursued bowling class to replace physical education. The media saturation, which the Americans are exposed to, seems to fuel the aggressive acts that result in violence. The Bowling for Columbine highlights the partial role that a section of the mass media plays in promoting the aggressive acts that result in the violence. Arguably, the Americans may be violent because of mass media such as TV, video, games, popular movies, and music. The mass media is full of violence that influences young people to engage in violent activities in the real world. The documentary evokes the audience to examine the deep underlying causes of violence instead of attributing the easy availability of guns to the increasing acts of the aggression. Fahrenheit 9/11 The Golden Palm award winning Fahrenheit 9/11 examines the handling of the September 11 terrorist attacks and subsequent US engagement in war with the Iraq and Afghanistan. Moore shows how the Bush Administration used the tragic event as a plausible reason to advance the agenda the unjust war in the two nations. The filmmaker succeeds in offering deep and provoking insights that reflect the American security system, fear, patriotism, uncertainty, and false values that facilitated Bush to launch a war on Iraq instead of pursuing the culprits responsible for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack. Moore indicates that the Bush Administration used the false pretense of fighting for weapons of mass destruction to waste public funds on the war, and failed to capture the real enemy. Skillfully, the filmmaker blends the thought-inducing and captivating footage with the revealing interviews, and balances it with humor and satire. The documentary proposes the conspiracy theories to underpin the pacifist American foreign policy. The implication of the film is that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were both unjust and ineffective. Moore bravely uses statistics and insinuations to attack the Bush’s decision to launch a war on Iraq and Afghanistan. Critics might argue that Moore uses the public record and manipulation of facts to advance propaganda in the documentary. Notably, the documentary skews reality and omits some significant information in order to show that the Bush’s Administration to engage in war with Iraq and Afghanistan was wrong. The documentary starts by presenting facts, but it changes immediately to random bits of information. Moore utilizes the short CNN clip to attempt to dispute the legitimacy of the Bush’s presidency. The discredit of the Bush’s victory in states such as Florida leaves the audience to ponder whether to classify the Fahrenheit 9/11 as documentary or a mere propaganda. Nonetheless, the film captures the funniest moment when Moore asks the congressional representatives to send their children to battle in Iraq. The quizzical look that the Congressman Mark Kennedy exhibits creates a humorous effect in the documentary (Moore). In essence, the Fahrenheit 9/11 calls for the examination of the credibility of the reasons for the United States to launch the war in Iraq and Afghanistan in pursuit of the terrorists and weapons of the mass destruction. Sicko Released in 2007, Sicko examines the US health care system and compares it with that of Canada, the United Kingdom, and France. The profit-oriented health care maintenance organizations differ from the free and universal care in Canada, France, and the UK. Moore indicates that the United States health care ranks last among the developed nations and costs more than the other global health systems. The documentary elicits a fundamental question that requires the Americans examining the flaws in the health care system. Moore utilizes his mastery of storytelling to show that the America’s health systems need critical changes in order to avoid burdening the low and middle-class citizens. Sicko is a significant documentary and a tool that can influence the public policy discussions that center on health insurance, as well as, the immigration. The health insurance and immigration are perennial issues that attract many discussions in the United States. All the European nations have universal health care or single payer systems. Similarly, the countries have free childcare, free doctor’s home calls, and many other benefits that seem impossible in America. Through a thorough interview of Americans living in Europe, the film established that the European governments consider the health issues of their citizens (Moore). It is paramount to realize that the Americans express desperation because they do not have insurance coverage or they are insufficiently insured. In essence, Sicko is detailed and informative as it reflects the miserable state of medical services in America in comparison with the other developed nations. Thus, Moore succeeded in indicating the significance of reviewing the health system to make the US a healthier nation. Conclusion Michael Moore’s documentaries are informing and thought-provoking. The Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11, and Sicko examine issues central to the United States. The films call for action to avoid plunging the United States into undesirable miseries. The governance has to exercise accountability and promote the practices that make the United States a safe and healthier nation. In effect, the films deserve credit for exposing critical issues of significance to the United States. Works Cited Moore, Michael, dir. Bowling for Columbine. Alliance Atlantis Communications, 2002. Film. Moore, Michael, dir. Fahrenheit 9/11. Fellowship Adventure Group, 2004. Film. Moore, Michael, dir. Sicko. Dog Eat Dog Films, 2007. Film. Read More