Review of Machine Gun Preacher (2011) by Ricky W — 07 Mar 2012

I'm not sure why, but sometimes Hollywood drops the ball on some really good stories. This is the case two times over with this film. This film never saw a wide release in theaters, and it should have because despite the fact that it is a poorly executed film...it's a very unique and powerful story that should have gotten more attention. Half way through this movie I was annoyed with the film making but in awe of the story, and despite my complaints this is a really good movie. This is a true story about a man named Sam Childer's who was a violent convict and a heroin addict, who found God and ended up becoming a mercenary for children in Sudan. Unlike the typical missionary he goes to Sudan, builds and orphanage, fortifies it, and then goes out and hunts the rebel army that is abducting, raping, and killing Sudanese children. Yeah, it's an intense story, and unlike a lot of hollywood movies they actually had to tame this story down in order to make it palatable for an American audience. After reading about this man online his personal story, and what he has seen and done in Sudan aren't given enough justice in this film.

As for the movie itself....it's sloppy. The story involves a character drama where we get to see him go from a heroin addict to a Christian. It involves the typical melodrama associated with films that touch on the subject of African children, although I didn't find it too distracting in this film. And it also deals with the moral issue of a person using violence to help save these children. The film takes place over what looks to be 10-15 years and it tries to cram all of this into two hours. I can't say that it doesn't work because I loved this story, but I was left thinking it could have been a better "film." I think they could have paid a little bit more attention to the issue of using violence in order to protect these children, and I think the film would've benefited from a few more peaceful moments where the spirit of childhood in Sudan was celebrated. In the film the focus is mostly on the children's suffering, and it gets a bit heavy in places and those brief scenes where we get to see spirit and life in the children are bright spots in the film.

I imagine had this film gotten more attention it would've been a very polarizing movie in Christian circles, because in addition to his mission in Sudan Sam Childer's also started a church for bikers, drug addicts, and convicts in Pennsylvania where he is the pastor. He's just an ordinary guy with no education, a bad past, but a desire to help others find God. His messages are very flawed, and delivered with a lot of anger based humility. He's the type who stands for going out and fighting evil, and perhaps because of what he has seen and done he has a more human sense of what that means in theological terms, but the concepts of compassion, faith, and love are missing from this film....and I think it hurts the story tremendously. Had these aspects been included more (an issue that the true life Sam Childer's had with the film as well) I think it would've made the more emotional scenes of the film feel more authentic instead of contrived and drama based.

Like I've said already. This is definitely a one of a kind story, and For the story alone this movie is definitely worth seeing, especially for a Christian audience because you will both be infuriated and convicted at the same time.