The Killing of America

The Killing of America is a 1982 American documentary film directed by Sheldon Renan and Leonard Schrader. The film was premiered in New York City in February 1982 and was recently shown at the 2013 Fantasia Festival.

The Killing of America was initially shown in New York City in 1982 at The Public Theater, but did not receive a commercial release in the United States, although it did receive a home video release in Britain. The film received a wide release in Japan, where financial backers reportedly pressured Renan to add footage of peace vigils for John Lennon as a way to make the documentary less depressing. Years later the documentary would receive a 2013 North American release at Fantasia Festival in Canada.Critical reception for The Killing of America has been mixed. Allmovie gave the film12 stars out of 5, remarking that Rather than an indepth study of the reasons for and effects of the rising murder rate in the U.S., the director has chosen to emphasize the violence and the need for gun control to help lower the appalling amount of mayhem that distinguishes the U.S. from its European counterparts. In contrast, in the book The Horror Film Mikita Brottman considered the film to be one of the more thoughtful and fascinating examples of the mondo genre. ........

Source: Wikipedia