Machine Gun Preacher Review

There are certain films that make one doubtful about their content from the very title stage. The moment you are told that a film is called 'Machine Gun Preacher', you get a strong feeling that this would one B-Grade action affair being churned out from the West and won't necessarily be a quintessential Hollywood product. Nothing wrong if latter turns out to be true because there have been unconventional action films from the West that have time and again won your attention. However when a movie threatens to delve into a B-grade zone time and again, there are reasons to be worried. More so if they are directed by the same man (Marc Forster) who has to his credit a James Bond flick (Quantum of Solace).

Well, those worries indeed prove to be true, especially in the first 30-40 minutes of the film, when just about everything in 'Machine Gun Preacher' starts seeming like way too wannabe. Whether it is an extended (static) lobby shot in a jail or an impromptu love making between Gerard Butler and his wife (Michelle Monaghan) that happens in a car to the domestic abuse sequences - you only end up cringing in your couch and start wondering if it would only get worse from here. Well, this is what really happens as there are multiple sequences featuring IV drug usage that only disgust you further.

Thankfully visuals don't turn as overbearing as was the case in 'Trainspotting' and just when you start wondering if it was indeed a good idea to step into 'Machine Gun Preacher', the turnaround happens and you are transported into the Sudanese land. Now this transition too leads to a mixed reaction because while on one end you start feeling that finally the story has started moving towards where it was intended, on the other end the turnaround is way too quick for comfort.

Picture this, Gerard (playing the real life character of Sam Childers), has just committed a murder and one visit to the Church leaves him a reformed man. So much so that he leaves his drug issues behind, starts a construction business, sees great returns, is supported by his family and starts making frequent trips to Sudan so as to help thousands of under privileged kids out there who are being tormented by an army. A bit more explanation around this would have helped the film but nevertheless, since the story finally reaches the land where it belonged to, you stop complaining and get immersed in the affairs.

Unfortunately though here too one isn't sucked into the proceedings straight away. There are jerks felt in the narrative every now and then with some moments of shock actually managing to create a sense of discomfort while at times it seems like way too convenient for Gerard to be projected as a hero.

It is the second half of the film which actually manages to hold your attention much better than the part gone by as Butler is termed as a 'Machine Gun Preacher' a la 'African Rambo'. This means that on one side he wields the machine gun to ensure that there is an overnight vigil for hundreds of homeless children around him, on the other end he keeps inspiring his fellow countrymen via his preaching to do something for their Christian brothers and sisters in Sudan. These are the parts that actually move you, hence setting the stage for some more volatile moments ahead. The fact remains though that it doesn't quite happen.

Amongst actors, Gerard Butler is good but not quite excellent enough that would make it go down as his best performance ever or the one that would be counted amongst the most notable of the year. Michelle Monaghan is decent as his wife while Michael Shannon (who plays his reformed friend) is okay as well. Souleymane Sy Savane as Gerard's friend in Sudan is good and could have excelled with a meatier role.

Ultimately, the film never manages to reach the depth of say, a 'Schindler's List' or 'Hotel Rwanda'. It is obvious that 'Machine Gun Preacher' draws it's inspiration from both these films when it comes to a protagonist spending his last penny on rescuing the under privileged and giving them food and shelter. In comparison though 'Machine gun Preacher' is much hollow and turns out to be an above average action film with perhaps a few moments that bring to fore some genuine empathy around the Sudanese problem.

Rating: **1/2