A documentary of the so-called "decline" of America, said to begin with the Kennedy assassination. It features a lot a great footage (most of it exclusive to this film) from race riots to serial killers and much, much more.This really does show it all: cops shooting suspects, political assassinations, the Jim Jones cult and such notorious figures as Charles Manson and Ted Bundy. The most disturbing part is an interview with Edmund Kemper, an "American who killed Americans". Although not as famous (or infamous) as Manson or Bundy, Kemper talks of killing his victims in a very casual way, and is rather intimidating -- he looms at almost 7 feet in height! As an interesting side note, the narration is done by Chuck Riley (known for his movie trailer dialogue), who coincidentally had known Jack Ruby. What it was like to narrate a scene of Ruby killing Oswald when he had a personal connection is something we can only wonder about.Although not mentioned in the film, a Los Angeles police officer claimed that every officer who shot and killed a suspect would retire within four years because of the psychological damage it caused. This would be an interesting stat to look into. Is it true? Has it changed?"The Killing of America" was initially shown in New York City in 1982 at the Public Theater, but never received a commercial release in the United States. It did receive a home video release in Britain, and a wide release in Japan, where financial backers reportedly pressured the director 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 (which is a bit odd, as the film has no "fantastic" elements). And in 2016, thanks to Severin, it now gets a full Blu-ray treatment.Critic Eleanor Minnikka wrote, "Rather than an in-depth 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." Minnikka raises a good point that the film is more a showcase of violence rather than any actual study of it. Perhaps more interesting is how violent crime today (2016) is actually on a decline from the 1970s and 1980s -- what happened since this film was made to change the trend? The Blu-ray from Severin features new interviews with editor Lee Percy and director Sheldon Renan, and an audio commentary from Renan, who explains in detail his background, his association with the Schrader brothers and the genesis of the film. Who knew that renting the Zapruder film cost an astounding $20,000? Renan, who (rightly) considers Kennedy a "hawk", suggests he is not a believer in the lone gunman theory. While this has no bearing on the film, it is interesting to note because of the central role JFK plays in the narrative.One of the more interesting inclusions on the disc is a brief discussion of "Mondo" films and the place of this movie in that trend. While I would hesitate to put "Killing of America" in the same category as "Mondo Cane" or "Faces of Death", a case can be made for a connection. Not only do each feature real scenes of graphic violence, but "Killing", like "Faces", had its biggest success in Japan. Why Japan? Hopefully the Blu-ray allows "Killing of America" to be properly appreciated in its home country, as it has some shocking lessons to offer.

Take the "Happiness is a Warm Gun" two minute shocking segment presented in "Bowling for Columbine" and multiply for almost two hours, then you have this excellent documentary named "The Killing of America". It reminds of what Michael Moore did in his powerful masterpiece, but this film haven't reach the impact of the Oscar winning documentary since it wasn't released in the U.S. back in 1982 and not even now (but it's easy to find on the internet). Leonard Schrader's film touched a deep wound of America and of course this couldn't be released in there, it would be misinterpreted and still can be depending of how one view this documentary. Strangely, this was made for the Japan market, another reason of why this wasn't shown in U.S. not even for home video.What we have here is a look at some of the most horrendous figures and crimes that ever appeared in U.S. between 1950's and 1980's, most of them captured on camera, broadcasted on TV, followed by an haunting voice over from Chuck Riley. There you'll see the Kennedy's assassination, John Lennon's murder, Jim Jones, Ted Bundy, Charles Whitman, Sirhan Sirhan, Charles Manson, Brenda Spencer and other bigger and minor criminal and tragical events recorded on film that took place in America. The intelligence of this documentary is to provoke a debate on why there was so much violent crimes in America in all the images presented here without reaching the sensationalism of things like "Faces of Death". It intrigues its viewers by exploring a dark past of one the most powerful countries of the world showing a unflattering and sad side of it. It gives us numbers, facts, informations and impressive things to make its audience think about possible reasons behind this enormous stream of crimes and violence. The images are haunting and quite depressive, but it should never be viewed as an attack to a country's past, it's just a critical piece that exposes its great arguments over a current critical situation of that period. It could happen at any place, and it happens indeed. I'm hoping to find such a brutal and honest film like this concerning the violent facts and images of my country, someday in a future until we have someone with the guts like the creators of this powerful media. 10/10

This is a film that is hard to come by in the United States legitimately,but it can be found on Youtube. This film was done in the Mondo style,which means that it shows a lot of shocking footage covers lurid topics and is marginally educational at best. The premise of this film is that America has been in serious decline after the assassination of JFK. MLK was assassinated next sparking race riots in many US cities. "Killing" did not have much in the way of analysis. It did however show interviews from some of the Sirham Sirham, serial killers, and even a few teenage prostitutes (one male and one female) in LA. This documentary was made to entertain not to educate, which is why so many topics are covered: street crime, assassinations, serial killers, spree killers (snipers), race riots, the Vietnam War, child prostitution. "Killing" brings to light the mind boggling levels of violence that plagued America in from the early 1960s-1980s. This showed serial killers that faded into obscurity throughout the years.This film has some great stock footage and no real political leaning (aside the assertion that taking guns off the street might be a good idea). I would recommend this to any true crime junkie or anyone who wants to be reminded of what a truly awful time the 1970s were.

I saw The Killing Of America quite a few years ago now, & it was very cold to the bone chilling viewing. The last time i watched it, i thought, never again could i watch this. The scene i used to turn away from was the scene where the 2 accomplices took several neighborhood boys to their home, raped & murdered them. The killer Wayne, who shot his accomplice, was sitting in the police car, there was a picture taken of the left side of his face inside the car, while his right side of his face was staring right at the camera. That picture spooked the living hell out of me for so long, before i finally had the courage to view it. Now i feel i have faced one of my fears. To summarize, very creepy viewing, very sad, that so many people who could've turned out successful in life, turned to a life of crime and horrible murders. About anyone wanting a copy of this to watch, if you want to see this, Australia has just released The Killing Of America (Uncut) on DVD. (go to www.ezydvd.com.au to purchase it, it is $19.95 Aust. R.R.P.)