Greetings,
Do you all remember when I did a little tribute to Gerard Butler last year in celebration of the fact that I thought he had begun to make good movies again, specifically Coriolanus and Machine Gun Preacher? Well, today, I've decided to take a closer look at one of those films, the one that's much easier to follow, because, as we all know, Shakespeare = hard. So let's talk about Machine Gun Preacher.
Machine Gun Preacher is something of a biopic about a guy named Sam Childers, who was once a drug-addicted biker, but later became a Christian. And can I say that, as surprised as I was about the news of Gerard Butler being cast as The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera back in the day, I was even more surprised at the thought of him playing a preacher. Because of, well, reasons. Still, I was up for it, and when I finally got to see the movie, I was quite pleased with his performance. Actually, I was quite pleased with this film in its entirety.
We start with Sam being released from prison and going home to see his wife, Lynn, played wonderfully by Michelle Monaghan, and his daughter, Paige, who was played mostly by a very talented, young actress named Madeline Carroll. Lynn had been working as a stripper when Sam left, but she quit that job because she became a Christian in her husband's absence. He's not too happy about that, since her not working there anymore will cost them a lot of money. Eventually, after a violent incident, Sam agrees to go to church with her, where he, too, accepts the Lord into his life.
After hearing a missionary speak, he decides to go to start going on missions himself, which leads him to helping out in Sudan. His main goal there is the children, the orphans, and to protect them from the Lord's Resistance Army. It's nothing short of a war zone, but, despite the attacks and being forced to become part of this war himself, Sam is determined to build an orphanage for the children. With the encouragement from his wife, friends and family, he does not give up on his mission.
However, besides all that he has to deal with while in Africa, Sam has to face some difficulties while at home. He decides to start his own church where he is the preacher. This is probably a good time to tell you all that I loved watching Gerard Butler preach. Every time he said "Hallelujah!", my response was always "Say it again! Say it again!". And I also hoped that something of all that preaching was sinking in with him. Anyway, his church manages to attract several members, but whilst trying to gather funds for his efforts overseas, he hits many stumbling blocks. All of this causes a lot of tension with his relationships with his family and friends, to a point where you almost think he may backslide because of all the pressure. That feeling does not last long, once you realize that it is merely frustration that is fed by his passion to help the people of that country to survive. What he goes through is a perfect example of what many Christians go through in their walk with the Lord, because we all fall down from time to time, but, through faith, we get back up and keep going. And that is exactly what Sam Childers did here.
I suppose I should now take this time to talk about a couple of the other cast members here. We get the lovely Kathy Baker as Sam's mom. I really love this actress, and I get such a mama-like vibe from her that it makes roles such as this perfect for who she is now. And, much to my eternal delight, we get Michael Shannon as Sam's best friend, Donnie. Yeah, I could tell you he did a superb job in this, but I already told you that he was Michael Shannon. So that kind of goes without saying, since he is always that good.
Now some of you, who have both read my blog before and seen this film, may think that my one complaint would be about the swearing. I always say that I tend to find strong language in films unnecessary, but, strangely enough, I almost see the need for it here. What it takes to really understand the change that Sam Childer's went through in his life is to see where he was before. It's even necessary to show those times of struggle after he became a Christian. I personally have gotten criticized by other so-called Christians when it comes to the fact that I, in my writing, often call attention to the dark times I've had to endure in my life in the past. Apparently, some people think those things should never be mentioned. Ever. But I, with all my heart, do believe that, to truly appreciate the "here and now", you have to understand the "there and then". Still, if there is one Bible verse that comes to mind when I think of this man, it is 2 Corinthians 5:17 - "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new". Yeah, that sounds pretty accurate.
So, in conclusion, if you want to think that the only reason I am recommending Machine Gun Preacher is because I am a Christian, that's fine. It is as good of a reason as any. But regardless of that, it is still a great movie with a phenomenal cast and a powerful story. I'm also going to say that it was mostly accurate to what really happened, since I'm fairly certain it had the stamp of approval from Sam Childer's himself, though even the truest of stories are often victims of "Hollywoodization". Yeah, that's a word ... now. And, if you are curious, yes, Sam and his family are still doing all of this amazing work, through organizations like Angels of East Africa and The Children's Village. So see the movie, and then, thank God that He can change a man enough to make that man want to change the world.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
