A BANK somewhere in the heartlands of America is handing out a free shotgun there and then if you sign up for an account.

The temptation is too much for Michael Moore who begins his documentary into the gun-loving mentality of America, Bowling for Columbine, there.

Moore signs up for an account and is handed a great big shotgun.

And so the segment ends with a shotgun-wielding Moore saying: "My first question has to be, do you think it is safe to give people shotguns in a bank?"

And from then on, this eye-opening, alarmingly funny but deeply troubling documentary never lets up.

Put simply, everyone should watch this film and be prepared to have their jaws hit the floor.

Although Moore creates problems for himself in terms of constantly moving the boundaries of his debate, the film's train of thought is well developed, leaving no stone unturned at the risk of losing some narrative flow.

The documentary looks at the wider issues around gun crime. It focuses on two issues which polarised American opinion, when two teens massacred their classmates with semi-automatic weapons at Columbine High School and when a six-year-old boy picked up his uncle's gun and shot dead a classmate.

There is some remarkable unseen CCTV footage from Columbine High School, recordings of 911 calls, and film from September 11 that will simply take your breath away.

This is a masterful piece of documentary making and well deserving of the Oscar.

The Evening News has teamed up with Momentum Pictures to offer five lucky readers the chance to win a copy of the film.

Just answer this simple question: In what year did Michael Moore's Bowling For Columbine win the Academy Award for Best Documentary?

Send your answers, with your name and address, to Bowling for Columbine DVD Competition, Promotions Department, Evening News, Hylton Road, Worcester, WR2 5JX. Entries must be received by Friday, May 17.

n Bowling for Columbine, cert 15, is available from Monday, May 12, on DVD and VHS

David Lewins