Here in the United States we have it good compared to the rest of the world. The majority of the homes in our country have clean running water, heat and air conditioning, and electricity. Our children have free education, and in most communities our kids can play in their own backyards and not worry about being kidnapped or killed. That however is not the case with the rest of the world, especially in the eastern region of Africa, where evil men like Joseph Kony kidnap, kill and sell children in the sex slave trade. Kony and his followers are known to murder whole villages and takes the children to either be forced to serve him or as I mentioned above be forced to do other unholy things.
Machine Gun Preacher is about a man named Sam Childers (Played by Gerard Butler) a former drug dealer and all around criminal who found God thanks to his ex-stripper wife that found faith in the church. When Sam begins to turn his life around, members of the church and community help him start his own construction business. He is then offered the chance to go to Africa to help in a construction project. He agrees, however while there he experiences something that will change his life forever. Sam witnesses an orphan child that just lost his family get killed by stepping on a land mine. Sam then gets the idea to build an orphanage for children that have lost their families. He goes back to the States and raises money in his church, and begins the process of building the orphanage, only to have Kony’s army attack one night and burn it down. Sam then declares his own war on Kony’s army by killing some of Kony’s solders Then he builds a bigger and better orphanage. To this very day this real life saint is still fighting the goods fight in Eastern Africa and has saved many children from the clutches of Joseph Kony. Machine Gun Preacher may be a bit of an over exaggerated Hollywood film, but it the true story of Sam Childers real life mission to save the children of East Africa.
There is a lot of controversy about the methods that Sam Childers has used to save the children. He has killed for them and has even gone as far as to pressure people here in the states to give him money to help build more orphanages in Eastern Africa. I for one agree with what he is doing. If someone was trying to kidnap or kill my children and I knew about it, I would make sure to take them out before they got within a mile of them.
It does not matter how well this film was made or how great this and that was. Don’t get me wrong it is a very well made film and the acting is good. However this is one of those rare films where the point gets across and when the film is over you find yourself wanting to be a better person and help out people all over the world who are suffering the same fate as these poor defenseless kids.
The Blu-ray disc also comes with a DVD and digital copy of the film. It also includes a few featurettes such as an interview with director Marc Forster, Making the Music for Machine Gun Preacher and the music video for the song “The Keeper” performed by Chris Cornell.
Machine Gun Preacher is a film that gets its point across. It is an amazing film that tell the story one mans rise from being a scum of the earth drug dealer to a man of God chosen to save the lives of children and protect them from an evil threat. You may not agree with the methods that a guy like Sam Childers has used in the protection of children and you may not agree with other things he has done as of recent. However, he is a man that is doing good for those in need and this film is a great testament to the great work he has done for the children of East Africa. Keep up the good fight. I highly recommend this film.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
