Machine Gun Preacher

2011 "Hope is the greatest weapon of all"
6.7| 2h9m| R| en| More Info
Released: 23 September 2011 Released
Producted By: Mpower Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

The true story of Sam Childers, a former drug-dealing biker who finds God and became a crusader for hundreds of Sudanese children who've been kidnapped and pressed into duty as soldiers.

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Michael Ledo Based on a true story, the movie opens with a brutal genocidal attack on a village, one where a child is being forced at gunpoint to smash his mother's head...but before that happens we flashback 2 weeks earlier. Sam Childers (Gerard Butler) is getting out of prison. He was quick sex with his wife (Michelle Monaghan) in the car before they make it home to the trailer park. He is upset that his wife is now packing mushrooms and has stopped stripping, but not as upset as I was.Within 5 minutes, Sam reaches a point in his life where he will either die, go back to jail, or find the Jesus he dreads. He opts for the lesser of 3 evils and goes to church with his wife. He finds Jesus, a bar of soap, shampoo, and a shirt with sleeves. When Jesus sends a tornado through central Pa., it created a construction business for Sam, however the only way he can stop chasing the rabbit is to save his buddy. The next thing you know, he is off to Africa.Combining his Christian belief and bad boy past (which, believe it or not the movie downplayed) Sam decides he can help in Sudan and save part of it by building an orphanage (target) in a war zone. He discovers things are not that easy, even with God on your side. Sam becomes obsessed with Sudan to the point it effects his home life. The scenes have low level intensity.This is an excellent film. It is well acted with mediocre editing. This is not a "come to Jesus" film, but the story can not be told without showing that aspect of Sam's life. Indeed, at one point the violence causes Sam to question his faith. The closing credits shows actual film of Sam and his family.F-bombs, brief car sex, no nudity.
Angie Garcia Martinez I'm giving it 9/10 just because anything in this world is perfect, but to be honest this is the most realistic movie I've ever seen. Everything, from the action scenes to the relationships between the characters are portrayed as they are in real life.This movie will touch your heart and you will feel all the emotions of the characters (the interpretations of the actors are also a plus for this film)I don't understand why this movie has such a low score (maybe because of the violence, or because it represents the story of a preacher..). This is definitely one of the best movies I've seen in my life.
sbutters-38214 I have never seen a movie about a protagonist that was so unsympathetic. He pretty much spent 90% of his life terrorizing everyone in his community and then he stabs some drifter and suddenly he finds Jesus....give me a break. He then magically gives the American dream to his family that he neglected and abused for 90% of his life and suddenly everything is A-okay.He then starts his own church and a mission in Africa. He spends most of his time neglecting his business and church to hide from his problems in Africa. It's like he can't focus on the problems plaguing his community, which obviously has problems, if there is such rampant crime and drug use, which he knows of first hand. Anyways, he gives some warriors of god speech to his church so they can sponsor his little jihad/vacation in Sudan.He also goes to his former boss and pretty much uses the fear of god's wrath to bully him into paying for his little crusade. When his former boss doesn't give him exactly the dollar amount he demands, he storms out of the party his former boss invited him to, like an angry child and throws a temper tantrum at his wife and kids.I also love how he cares so much for these people half way across the globe rather than his own friends and family. He pretty much just ignores his family, browbeats and verbally abuses his daughter when she just asked for some money to get a limo to her prom (even though he took out a freaking loan he has no hope of repaying for his mission in Africa), and leaves his friend to die all so he could run away to Africa and play hero. It's partially his wife's fault because when he wanted to quite (like any person with a brain would after watching their mission burn down and be thrown into a war zone), his idiotic wife tells him to stay there, waste more money and possibly die.In short, it was a movie about a bunch of people with a messiah complex that would rather play savior then actually think for themselves. If these people had even a little bit of a sense of self or logic, then half of the stuff in this movie would not have happened.
Leofwine_draca If ever there were a true story ripe for cinematic adaptation, this is the one. MACHINE GUN PREACHER tells the true-life story of Sam Childers, a biker turned born-again Christian who travelled to Africa to set up a church, save the children and kill a whole bunch of rebel terrorists in the process.It's a film you have to watch with a certain amount of tongue-in-cheek - after all, this is another spin on Hollywood's favoured 'white saviour' sub-genre - but the narrative is engaging enough for it to work as a movie. There are also strengths in the casting of Gerard Butler as the volatile, foul-mouthed Christian hero, while the supporting cast and African backdrop work well together.The only downside is that they picked Marc Forster to direct, and as anyone who's seen QUANTUM OF SOLACE will tell you, this guy's not terribly skilled behind the camera. Thus his action sequences are acceptable rather than spectacular, and when it's real people being killed it's kind of difficult to cheer the hero on. An interesting film then, but not exactly a favourite.