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"Machine Gun Preacher" is a faith-promoting story filled with extreme violence, drug use, f-bombs and sex. And yet it never mocks religion.
Gerard Butler stars in the true story of Sam Childers. In the first few minutes, we see him released from jail, have sex in a Pinto, verbally abuse his family, insist his wife (Michelle Monaghan) return to stripping, shoot heroin, commit violent armed robbery, spout racial epithets and nearly kill a guy.
But Sam finds God and turns his life around. He builds a church. He goes to East Africa to help people caught in a brutal civil war. He becomes an avenging angel and an addict — addicted to trying to save the Sudanese orphans, to the detriment of himself and his family. So he needs redeeming again.
Butler's performance is good, but the movie is at least 20 minutes too long and yet still feels as if big chunks of the narrative are missing.
Director Marc Forster clearly sees this as an epic, inspirational tale. Frankly, it's hard to criticize a movie determined to bring the plight of Sudanese orphans to the American public. It's just too bad "Machine Gun Preacher" isn't a better movie. HH
'Machine Gun Preacher'
Opens today at the Broadway Centre Cinemas; rated R for violence, drug content, sex and pervasive language; 127 minutes.