Review of Machine Gun Preacher (2011) by Jeffrey M — 14 Jul 2012

Machine Gun Preacher is an effective, compelling, and thought provoking drama that examines the true story of a reformed man on a mission. It features strong performances, with Gerard Butler inhibiting Sam Chiders' intense, yet ambiguous demeanor well. There are some cliches to be found, but what really separates Machine Gun Preacher is the lack of apologies it makes for all involved, Sam remains conflicted and reckless throughout his 'redemption', making him an appropriately complex and fascinating man. The film does seem to lack an authoritative opinion about him, but I appreciated that, we see his entire transformation and his overall merits are still unclear and debatable. While not all of the relationship elements worked for me, specifically the relationship between him and his wife, the film does have a lot of interesting things to say about the nature of redemption and what constitutes philanthropy, and those questions play out well within the family dynamics. Overall, timely, interesting, and powerful.

4/5 Stars.