Movie: Machine Gun Preacher
Release Date: September 23, 2011
Studio: Relativity Media
Director: Marc Forster
Screenwriter: Jason Keller
Starring: Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan, Kathy Baker, Madeline Carroll, Michael Shannon, Souleymane Sy Savane
Genre: Action, Drama
Official Website: MachineGunPreacher.org
Gerard Butler can surely surprise anyone with his choice of movie, one day he does a 300, then the other day he does The Bounty Hunter. But when he is at his best he does an action flick and that is what he is going to do. But his next movie is not an out and out action flick. It has drama and emotions too, and I am surely looking forward to see Gerard Butler in this movie.
The trailer which is a theatrical trailer is really very good and gives us a very good idea about what the movie will be about and the movie has been directed by the director of movies like Monster’s Ball and the bond flick Quantum of Solace. The movie stars Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan, and Michael Shannon. The trailer gives us a rough idea that the movie basically is a true story of a man named Sam Childers and his dealings with his past where he was a drug dealer and who now wants to change his life so he goes to Sudan and there he saves the lives of hundreds of children there.
Watch the trailer here and let us know what do you feel about the trailer. Give your views in the comments section below and also read the plot outline below. The Machine Gun Preacher hits the theatres on September 23rd 2011 and the lucky few people who will attend the Toronto Film Festival will see an early World Premiere at the Film Festival.
The Machine Gun Preacher is an original story of a man named Sam Childers who was a former drug-dealing biker man who accidentally found the meaning of life and God and from then he became a kind of crusader for the hundreds of Sudanese children who’ve been forced to become soldiers and they can’t do anything about that.
Machine Gun Preacher is based on the true story of Sam Childers, a former biker and drug dealer who found God, went to Africa to help children, and went on to kick some bad guy butt.
War torn Sudan is essentially a crap hole. Children are forced at a very young age to join small military groups and start hurting people, and other bad crap. Well, Sam Childers, aka badass, decided that enough was enough. The mulleted hero went down to bring peace and hope to these poor kids, but the church he builds is burnt down by rebels. He decides to rebuild. But only after he shows these punks what’s what.
At least, that’s what I got from the trailer and a short bio of his life. Apparently the dude is pretty awesome. Oh, and he’s supposed to a Southern tough guy. And Gerard Butler hasn’t quite gotten the accent down. That should add some unintentional humor to the film.
Coming to theaters next month, Machine Gun Preacher is a movie that will appeal to some Christians because of its subject matter. It will also turn off some Christians . . . because of its subject matter.
The movie, opening in limited release on September 23, is based on the true story of Sam Childers, a drug-dealing hell raiser as a teen and young man who began to turn his life around after finding Jesus. Today, he spends much of his time in Sudan and neighboring countries, allegedly fighting pockets of the LRA (Lord's Republican Army) with his own band of gun-toting rebels while sweeping up orphans who have been left behind -- and then putting them into orphanages that he has built in the area.
Some Christians will love the film for showing Childers' path from rebellion to redemption. Others may avoid it for the same reason; the first 15-20 minutes are as in-your-face and gritty as anything you'll see in an R-rated movie (which it is), with a sex scene, drug dealing (and taking), brutal violence, and foul language. Even after Childers -- played terrifically by Gerard Butler -- finds God, he's still got some rough edges, and his flaws stick with him through the rest of the movie. Sounds pretty realistic to me, and I appreciate the filmmakers' boldness in showing those character flaws. But it's also a bit much for the "safe-for-the-whole-family" folks who prefer their "Christian" movies to be G-rated fare.
Relativity Media, which is distributing the Marc Forster-directed film, realizes this, but knows it's also got a film on its hands that can have terrific crossover appeal -- for Christians because of the redemptive arc of the tale, and for secular audiences who appreciate character development woven into what is in many ways an action movie, with Childers as its real-life action hero.
In an attempt to reach both audiences, Relativity has released mainstream and faith-based versions of the movie poster. They also plan to release "exclusive" clips for the faith-based market in a week or so. Stay tuned.
Here are the two posters -- "secular" on the left, "faith-based" on the right. Both include the phrase, "Hope is the greatest weapon of all." In the latter, the cross motif is evident, but seems forced, especially as it cuts off Butler's forehead. But there seems to be a clear focus on the children -- the main motivation for Childers' work -- in the background.
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