Machine Gun Preacher

I’d heard about Kony and the horrors in Africa long before the film Machine Gun Preacher came out, especially after the big campaign last year. So when I heard they made a movie about a guy fighting against violence—ironically, using violence—I was intrigued. I’d been looking forward to it for months, but honestly, I ended up really disappointed. Gerard Butler wasn’t a terrible choice for the lead, but the way they told the story was all over the place. Sam Childers, Butler’s character, is supposed to go through this major transformation from bad to good. But the film handles it in the weirdest way. First, we see Bad Sam: he gets out of prison, does a bunch of awful stuff, and continues being a terrible person. He’s using drugs, killing people, just all-around bad. His family finds God, and he literally laughs in their faces. Then, suddenly, in about 30 seconds, he has a revelation—boom, he’s sitting in church. That’s it. No real transition, no character growth. It’s like flipping a switch, and we’re supposed to just go along with it. This wasn’t a one-time thing either—the movie kept pulling this kind of emotional whiplash. The film doesn’t really explore the emotions or inner struggles you'd expect from a story like this, and that’s a huge missed opportunity. This is supposed to be a film about a man’s moral and emotional journey, but it skips over the parts that matter most. That being said, there were moments worth watching—some scenes were genuinely good. But overall, I was let down from the start, and that feeling stuck with me through to the end. The real-life Sam Childers, who appears at the end, felt way more compelling than the film version. And let’s not even get started on the religious overtones that run through the whole movie. But hey, that’s how it goes in American cinema sometimes. Hallelujah, I guess. (23/04/2012)

Excellent Czech title, but let it be. "The Preacher Kalashnikov" is exactly the kind of film that will make you think about whether you should consider adopting a little black boy from Africa from a distance. But then you will say to yourself whether it is actually worth it when there is a fairly high probability that he will be shot as a child. The strength of the film lies in its foundation, which is the real life of one person and his convictions. Gerard Butler - the main reason why I sought out the film - proves that he can act. You believe his tough pose, love for neighbor, and the anger he carries within himself. As a macho killer, he is probably the least believable, but it comes with the territory. The film is not as powerful as, for example, some documentary from Africa, but it definitely has nothing to be ashamed of. It will attack your emotions, it will shock you. It happens in Africa and we do nothing about it. When attention is drawn to it, maybe at least one person will rise up and want to help. That is enough. The film does not unnecessarily exploit, it makes sense. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/04/diar-milovnika-filmu-c-0004-hugo-buh.html (15/02/2013)

I have one big problem with Machine Gun Preacher, or maybe two. The first is that Childer’s transformations are terribly sudden and the movie concentrates much more on the less interesting parts, like when the asshole becomes a nice guy, while it concentrates only very briefly on the part when the nice guy becomes a murderous maniac, which is much better and more interesting. And Butler’s acting is excellent and it would have been far more bombastic if they had concentrated on a shorter section of time in more detail, rather than trying to map his entire “working" life. The second problem is that I don’t much like what happens in this picture. Building an orphanage in the middle of a war zone is a very bad idea. Did Sam ever think about what those people were going to do when they grow up? (20/05/2012)

The creator of the masterpiece that is Monster’s Ball converted to Christianity and lost his mind. But he retained his heart – his film reminded me of Stone’s World Trade Center – a simple story full of pathos about the suffering of innocents and the need to help one another. Machine Gun Preacher is a naïve, straightforward movie for average Americans taking refuge in the Bible. Scenes of preaching about God are more abundant here than in a documentary about the Pope. They are too much for atheist viewers and will spoil their film experience. And when Gerard Butler’s preacher stops talking and takes picks up his shotgun, the film becomes more entertaining but less convincing. I’m giving the third star for the colorful and exotic soundtrack, which I had listened to in advance and made watching the film more enjoyable. And also for the “big heart” trying to help African kids. If I were more of a cynic, I wouldn’t even have thought about it. (04/01/2012)

I didn't even believe Gerard Butler that he was shooting this time, let alone being somehow mesmerized by his "transformation" from a dope-smoking biker released from prison into a man who found God, and then into a Rambo-esque fighter who doesn't hesitate to fill the kidnappers of African children with lead. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against movies showing any religion from a more appealing side. But what was this supposed to be? An unintentionally ridiculous spectacle, which I didn't believe all the more because it was based on reality. (04/11/2013)