Sam Childers (Gerard Butler) is an ex-con heroin addict, and frankly, an asshole until he almost murders a hitchhiker. His wife (Michelle Monaghan) convinces him to join her church and Sam slowly gets his life back together. He hears about a relief mission to Uganda and joins up to do construction. There, he meets Deng (Souleymane Sy Savane), a soldier for the Sudanese Liberation Army. Sam wants to see the civil war for himself and becomes deeply upset by the number of orphaned and lost children. He decides to raise money to build an orphanage. But as the war continues, Sam finds himself stretched further and further from where he started.
One of the things I found deeply ironic and hilarious is that Sam almost killing a man is the impetus for him becoming a Christian, and then he goes to Africa and for sure kills multiple people. Like, fires an RPG at a car carrying literal children.
Let's be clear: this is a White Savior narrative. The civil war and child soldiers are backdrops for Sam's journey. Everyone in this film exists to bolster, aid, or comfort him. It is the Green Book of Beasts of No Nation.
It's based on a true story; there is an actual Sam Childers who went to South Sudan in 1998 and founded an orphanage. He wrote a book about his experiences which became this movie. There is also a documentary of the same name produced by Childers. How much of the true story is actually true is apparently a matter for some debate.
Machine Gun Preacher is currently streaming on Starz and the documentary is also available on Amazon Prime.
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