Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

The Killing of America is much more than just another shockumentary collection of real-life death footage, although that's exactly what it is. It's this film's narration that makes it an exemplary addition to the genre; it's nothing less than a treatise on gun crime in America, exploring the many different avenues down which it arises and looking at some truly shocking statistics.It's the ice-cold presentation of the facts and figures, and the real-life cases of snipers and serial killers, that make this a memorable film. Certainly there are some shocking still photographs and clips presented here, but a lot of the footage nowadays seems tame given what's readily available for viewing on Youtube and the like. However, the direction, editing, and music all make this a film which engages the brain as well as the senses.

This documentary about the appalling mass epidemic of random and widespread gratuitous violence that initially started sweeping across America in the early 1960's might make for decidedly uncomfortable viewing, but it nonetheless does a frightfully persuasive job of illustrating that violence is a dangerous sickness with no immediate foreseeable end or cure in sight.Directors Sheldon Renan and Leonard Schrader pull no punches in their alarming catalogue of all kinds of grim and unpleasant atrocities: The assassinations of John and Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and John Lennon, the heinous misdeeds of such notorious serial killers as Ted Bundy, David Berkowitz, John Wayne Gacy, the Hillside Strangler, and Dean Corll, the attempted assassinations of George Wallace and Ronald Reagan, the Charles Whitman shootings at the University of Texas in Austin, the tragic shooting of several student protesters at Kent State University, the horrifying schoolyard killings committed by Brenda Spencer, the equally upsetting Jonestown mass suicides, and other such in-your-face bleak occurrences are addressed in an unwaveringly stark and straightforward manner. Chuck Riley handles the narrator chores with appropriate solemnity. The flesh-crawling score by Mark Lindsay and W. Michael Lewis does the spine-tingling trick. The rough cinematography provides a suitably gritty look. Loaded with hideously explicit photos and newsreel footage, this notorious mondo shock doc packs a savage punch right to the gut.

This documentary is about violence in America up to 1981. It was intended for a Japanese audience. There's lots of violent footage, some not readily seen anywhere else. If that's what you're looking for this is a good movie for you. But it doesn't really make a statement other than America might be more violet in 1981 than ever before. I say might because we're not sure why or by how much. There are some messed up people out there. That's what this shows you, example after example...over and over and over again. Newspaper coverage used to be as graphic as this movie. In the 1950's newspapers often included gruesome pictures of mangled injuries from auto accidents. Generally, 90% of the population are well-meaning. The other 10% are ill-intentioned or desperate enough to commit horrible things. This movie is about those 10%.

This movie was hard to find. reading about it, I read it wasn't ever released in America. I have currently found it as a Region 2 (United Kningdom/Europe) DVD release.that being said, this is one great documentary. I'm sure it was very shocking to anyone who saw it in 1982, it was shocking to me today. In today's world, the media- television, movies, music etc. There is a lot of violence. There is a lot of glamorization of violence. Some people like violence, some don't. That is not the point.This documentary deals with murder rate in America. Its not just another documentary covering a few statistics here and there, this has excellent footage. You will hear surprising statistics, you will see serial killers, you will see actual people being shot.It IS shocking. I have seen so much shocking stuff, that I am numb to a lot now, but this was shocking. I for one, never saw the entire JFK footage. Its on here. The Robert F Kennedy assassination is on here. A few other actual footages, or assassinations and assassination attempts are on here.Serial killers are covered in depth in this documentary. You see actual footage of notorious killers such as Ted Bundy, and Charles Manson. You hear about others you may have heard of- Charles Whitman, John Wayne Gacy etc.There were also some serial killers and incidents I never even heard of in this movie. There was one incident where a guy who gives out bank loans was taken hostage and paraded around the city for 3 days in front of the media and everyone. There is another incident where a guy takes over a TV station.Today we have documentaries such as Bowling for Columbine, or Fahrenheit 911. These are trash. they do not show good legit footage, and the truth and statistics in these documentaries are twisted. I have no reason to believe anything in this Killing of America documentary is false. First of all, the footage is right there. The only thing that would be made up is the statistics, which I doubt.This documentary is graphic. This documentary is shocking. It is also a great history lesson. You will learn more about killers and incidents you know. If you have not seen this film, and know a lot of the subject, you are still guaranteed to learn something.I would say this is a must see for anyone interested in shocking real events, or interested in well made documentaries. It will shock you.