Review: Machine Gun Preacher
Machine Gun Preacher is violent drama based on the true story of Sam Childers (Gerard Butler), a drug-dealing criminal biker who transformed his life after finding God. Through a series of events, Childers finds redemption from his violent life not only to become a preacher, but to risk his life to establish an orphanage in war-torn Sudan. Butler was so taken with Childers' story that he not only served as an executive producer for the movie but also took a pay cut for the role, which could quite possibly lead to an Oscar nomination.
Machine Gun Preacher opens with a violent night in a remote Sudanese village -- members of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) force a young boy to kill his own mother and kidnap any children old enough to hold a gun. The film then shifts to rural Pennsylvania, where Sam Childers prepares for his release from prison, having been incarcerated for drug-related criminal activities.
Childers discovers that while he was away, his wife Lynn (Michelle Monaghan) has given up her lifestyle of drugs and drinking, as well as her job as an exotic dancer. Her faith in God and participation at a local church has motivated her to provide a healthier atmosphere for herself and her daughter. Childers' disinterest of religion takes a sudden turn when after a rough night of drinking and shooting up, he nearly kills a hitchhiker who has pulled a knife on his biker buddy Donnie (Michael Shannon).
Having hit rock bottom, in desperation Childers asks his wife for help. Childers begins going to church with his wife and daughter, and there he discovers and joins in the church's missionary work to rebuild houses in Africa. There he forays into remote Sudan with his guide Deng (Souleymane Sy Savane), and witnesses the young night commuters as well as the aftermath of a massacre on a local village.
Moved to action, Childer starts his own church in the United States for an unseemly crowd including bikers, drug addicts and hookers, at the same time that he builds an orphanage in Sudan. Providing a safe home for the children isn't enough for Childers -- in his determination to save as many young lives as he can, he organizes his own militia to protect the children from the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). Even more unorthodox are his vigilante-style missions into remote areas controlled by the LRA to rescue kidnapped children. Childers' obsession with saving the children of Sudan drives him to neglect his own family at home as he pours more money into his causes.
Machine Gun Preacher successfully demonstrates the stark contrast between life in the United States and the harshness of civil unrest and violence in Africa. While Childers' daughter Paige (Madeleine Carroll) desires a costly limo ride to her prom with friends, Childers is concerned more with money for the orphanage. His manic determination drives him to verbal outrages at the local bank representative and businessmen from whom he seeks funding.
The filmmakers behind Machine Gun Preacher don't expend much effort on convincing the audience why Childers turned to God so quickly. However, Childers' life story after his transformation provides the more interesting story. Director Marc Forster (Monster's Ball, Quantum of Solace) excels at portraying the brutality of the LRA as effectively as that of Childers' criminal activities. For a man of Childers' background to have been moved to action by the violence he witnessed in Sudan is evidence to the atrocities being committed.
Faith in God doesn't deliver a clear path to spiritual salvation and a protected existence, as Childers discovers after making a fatal decision that contributes to the most impressionable and heart-wrenching scenes of Machine Gun Preacher. When Donnie asks, "Does God forgive us all our sins?", Childers doesn't have an answer. His new-found faith in God is tested and shaken, and he slides precariously back into his violent and vengeful behavior to the point of taking it out on the orphans.
My skepticism of Gerard Butler's portrayal of Sam Childers in Machine Gun Preacher was dissuaded within the first ten minutes. Butler's stardom does not overshadow the role, but rather the character of Childers overpowers the audience's recognition and familiarity of Butler. To introduce the movie's protagonist as such an unlikeable person in the first act is a risky but profitable venture, supported by the realism of Childers going from "sinner to not quite ready for sainthood" status. Monaghan's understated performance provides great support to the film, but it's Shannon's portrayal of junkie biker buddy Donnie and Savane's Deng that stand out amongst the supporting cast. Kathy Baker is grossly underused in her supporting role as Childers' mother.
Machine Gun Preacher is a powerful drama that I highly recommend for both Butler's and Shannon's performances as well as the subject matter of the welfare of Africa. Despite a slightly abrupt cinematic ending, be sure to stay for the credits to see the real-life characters in their daily lives. To learn more about Childers' organization Angels of East Africa as well as his local community support in Central City, Pennsylvania, visit the Machine Gun Preacher website.