Machine Gun Preacher - DVD

Film: Until now, the life of former drug dealer Sam Childers (Gerard Butler) as a member of a biker gang was determined by drugs and violence. But after a long stay in prison he finds, also through the help of his devout wife Lynn (Michelle Monaghan) to God and seems to have finally found his peace and the possibility of a normal life. He starts his own construction company, which soon becomes so successful that he is able to provide his small family with a nice home of their own. But when he travels to Sudan to use his talents as a builder, he witnesses the cruelty of the rebel group LRA, especially women and children. Sam realizes he can't just go back to his daily routine. He builds his own church, hoping to raise money for the children in Sudan. But even that is soon no longer enough for him. He travels back to the crisis area himself and tries to fight back against the hostile militias with all the means at his disposal - even with violence if necessary.

The name Machine Gun Preacher initially leads one to expect another grindhouse homage in the style of Machete or Hobo with a Shotgun. But the film, based on the true life story of Sam Childers, quickly proves to be an intense drama that makes use of some bold moments of violence, but uses them especially to capture as authentically as possible the actual horror faced by the people of Sudan. Director Marc Forster, who has always managed the balancing act between entertainment and ambition in his career to date, deliberately chose this heavy subject matter in order to have a completely different working experience after his work on the last James Bond film. Away from big studios, away from pure entertainment cinema. And so it is little surprise that Machine Gun Preacher, especially at the beginning, is stylistically and atmospherically reminiscent of Forster's first big success, the drama Monster's Ball.

Forster does a very good job of wringing some particularly intense moments out of his drama, which was shot in the U.S. and South Africa, and which also demands quite a bit from his lead actor, Gerard Butler. But Butler passes this test with flying colours and delivers an extremely strong performance as the armed crusader. What gets in his way a bit is the character of Sam Childers himself. As admirable as it is how committed the ex-convict is to the children of Sudan, his methods are at times at least a little questionable. But what makes him a problematic character, at least in the film, is that he doesn't really seem to have changed throughout the story. He's still extremely quick-tempered and violent even after he's found God, and treats his family, who have always stood by him and supported him with all their might, like the last of the dirt.

How far this corresponds to reality cannot be understood here. The images of the real Sam Childers and his family that appear in the credits at least suggest that Lynn was more involved in the aid project, even in Sudan, than the film suggests. Also, the way Sam treats his best buddy Donnie (great as always: Michael Shannon), who is a conglomerate of four or five different friends of the real Childers, even though the latter is sacrificially taking care of Sam's wife and daughter while the latter is fighting his battle against the LRA, doesn't really make Sam sympathetic despite his good ambitions. Forster takes too uncritical a view of his main character's actions, especially in the morally dubious moments, which ends up giving the film a bit of an unpleasant taste. One has to wonder if the end really always justifies all means.

But there is no question, as I said, that what Sam Childers has managed to do in Sudan deserves great credit, whether the film does justice to his actual actions or just the family complications have been changed or played up for dramaturgical reasons.

Below the line, though, Machine Gun Preacher is a good drama despite minor flaws, with compelling actors, intense moments, and strong imagery. If you can overlook the somewhat striking moments, the film can definitely be recommended. Worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The film has a rather dirty look, especially in the scenes set in Sudan, which is well captured by the earthy colors and the somewhat exaggerated contrasts. In the moments set in the U.S., much bolder and richer colors set the tone. Overall, the picture impresses with decent overall sharpness, and you'll also look in vain for smudges or picture distortions. The Dolby Digital mix is rather restrained, especially at the beginning, but during attacks by or on the LRA, some well implemented effects provide movement in the surround area. Good.

Extras: The interview with director Marc Forster (approx. 20 min.) is very interesting. In it, Forster reveals why he chose this material of all things after his work for James Bond and to what extent the real Sam Childers was involved in the making of the film. Forster also has some revealing things to say about shooting in the US and Africa. In addition to this good interview, the DVD also has a short documentary about the film's score (approx. 14 min.), a music video by Chris Cornell (approx. 4 min.) and the trailer for the film.

Conclusion: Machine Gun Preacher is an ambitious drama, which can convince in every respect acting and visually, but dramaturgically has some minor weaknesses to show. The main character and her actions remain morally dubious in too many moments, which clearly weakens the impact of the story. Nevertheless, the film, which was technically well implemented on the DVD, due to the good actors and the true background of the story is in any case despite the weak points still: thoroughly recommended!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp