Machine Gun Preacher (**½)
Directed
by: Marc Forster
Starring:
Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan, Michael Shannon, Madeline Carrol, Souléymane Sy Savané, Kathy Baker
Seen:
January 21st 2012
**½
Out of ****
I was excited about this movie based on its trailer, and after seeing
it I am still excited about it based on what it believes, what it tells of,
what it stands for (mostly). I only wish that I could have liked it more. Too
many parts feels like punctuated injections to make a point or shock the viewer
with often a lack of motivation behind why exactly this was used in the movie
in this way; while at other times it lacks emotion. The majority of events
depicted are violence against innocents, and the requisite time or attention is
not given to the loss, the absolute terror of this terrible fate some are
resigned to. One thing matters: Sam Childers’ drive for revenge and retribution,
and while engaging, it can be exhausting and quite detrimental, as Childers is
not only glorified, but also vilified.
After being released from prison, Sam (Butler) is shocked to realise
that his wife Lynn (Monaghan) has found Jesus. She’s quit her job as a stripper
and as Sam storms out of the house (trailer), Lynn shouts after him that he
cannot continue on this path for long. Indeed he doesn’t, and on another
drunken/drugged-out rampage with his friend Donnie (Shannon), they pick up a
hitch-hiker who tries to hijack them, and Sam stabs the man and leaves him for
dead. This turns Sam, and he attends church with Lynn where he gives his life
to Christ and gets baptised. Sam gets an honest job as a building contractor,
and at church gets exposed to the idea of mission work in Sudan and Uganda.
In Africa Sam finds a way to channel his aggressive nature: he gets
involved in mission work in dangerous areas where the infamous Lord’s
Resistance Army under the purely evil Joseph Kony raid towns and rain down
terrible destruction and horrible death; and Sam fights back. Helping the
children to stay out of reach of Kony, as well as rescuing them from Kony,
becomes an obsession with Sam so strong that it alienates him not only from his
family, but also his small congregation at home and the people working with him
in Africa. He needs to find the balance and not lose heart, as that would be
the only thing separating him from Kony if he is to continue his efforts.
The movie exposes the awful truth of an evil that goes unchecked in
Africa: Kony’s LRA, something that doesn’t enjoy too much global publicity. Butler
is good as Sam, both in normal and more insane moments, but his Scottish accent
rises through from time to time, and it’s distracting. Michele Monaghan is fine
as his wife together with Madeline Carrol as his daughter. Michael Shannon is
his usual brilliant self; possibly the movie’s most fully realised (and fully
messed up) character.
Machine Gun Preacher might have worked better as a documentary on the
life of Sam Childers as opposed to an action movie with such a serious
backdrop. The story is engaging enough to keep the viewer’s attention, but the
presentation does keep a bit of a question in the back of one’s head – is this
movie glorifying violence as a means to a noble end? Machine Gun Preacher is
good in that it focuses attention and raises awareness on the issue, but the
material is just too tough to justify it as an entertaining action movie.
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