1) As a bold propaganda piece, the film overtly promotes gun control in the US, blending a few telling statistics into a strong emotional appeal. The style is vaguely reminiscent of An Inconvenient Truth, although not quite so direct without the monotonous voice-over.
2) As a graphic exploration of mental illness, PTSD, depression and paranoia from the sufferer's perspective, the film is truly outstanding. Covering such an intensely personal, private issue on the big screen is hugely ambitious and, for me, the film more than merely succeeds. The sets, scenes, lighting, music, acting and script, working together, open the window on torment - a seething, horrific nightmare playing on a loop inside someone's head. At the same time, the film is neither melodramatic nor pitiful. It treads the line perfectly, somehow managing to string the confusing episodes together in a way that makes sense, telling a powerful story that underpins the propaganda element.
3) As an action film, it's quite weak, passable but constrained by the other two threads. Rather than glorify violence or emphasise the carnage, it is restrained - just graphic enough to make the point but action is not the main focus or purpose. Once again, the film treads a fine line.
4) As a social commentary on US society, the film takes an innovative approach which left me feeling perplexed and helpless, almost hopeless. The tensions in the film are so strong, the positions so deeply entrenched and the interwoven issues so complex that there is no obvious resolution, not even gun control - a subtle paradox that the film brings to life in a truly creative and captivating way.
