It’s all the media’s fault

It had to happen. The appalling killings in Cumbria two weeks ago are now being linked to a supposedly shocking Hollywood movie…

It had to happen. The appalling killings in Cumbria two weeks ago are now being linked to a supposedly shocking Hollywood movie.

It has emerged that Derrick Bird, who murdered 12 people before taking his own life, watched Steven Seagal’s

On Deadly Ground

the night before launching his murderous spree.

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It's hard to see what relevance this has to the case. The violence in the Seagal 1994 film is considerably less appalling than that in an average episode of The Sweeney. Nonetheless, certain newspapers can't resist blaming every atrocity on today's depraved entertainment industry.

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Donald Clarke

Donald Clarke

Donald Clarke, a contributor to The Irish Times, is Chief Film Correspondent and a regular columnist