Killer at Large

I recently watched the documentary Killer at Large: Why Obesity is America's Greatest Threat. It got off to a slow start and was a low budget production. I was irritated by the poor audio quality and background music towards the beginning of the documentary. Despite a slow start, half way through the pace picked up and it got more interesting.

This film addresses the increased incidence of obesity in the US and discusses many of the causes of obesity. Some of these causes included genetics, inactive lifestyles, the elimination of PE in many schools, fast food, portion sizes, marketing to children, the food pyramid, poverty, etc.

A good part of the program is critical of the USDA and their role in the obesity epidemic. The movie also points a finger at the Bush administration as been responsible for the problem. This is done in classic conspiracy theory fashion. I understand the government can influence how we eat, and there may be some truth to the information, but I would have enjoyed it more if they didn't throw politics into the documentary as much as they did. They also addressed the role of government vs. individual responsibility and I found that debate to be interesting.

Overall, I liked this movie and would recommend it to anyone concerned about their health or the rising rate of obesity that effects so many people. Even if you are not obese, it is insightful to see how much junk food we eat. I would have liked to see more solutions presented in the video, but it was still informative despite its shortcomings. I give it 6.9 stars.