Machine Gun Preacher parents guide

Machine Gun Preacher Parent Guide

If you come to this movie (which is rated R in the United States) expecting a warm and fuzzy story of Christian love, you will likely be disappointed and surprised.

Overall C

Sam Childers (Gerard Butler) leaves his past life of crime and substance abuse behind, in order to follow God. His new path takes him to Sudan, Africa where he uses some of his former skills to rescue and protect orphaned children who are being forced to become soldiers. This movie is based on a true story.

Release date October 14, 2011

Violence D+
Sexual Content C
Profanity D
Substance Use D+

Why is Machine Gun Preacher rated R? The MPAA rated Machine Gun Preacher R for violent content including disturbing images, language, some drug use and a scene of sexuality.

Run Time: 103 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

Sam Childers (Gerard Butler) is a real life individual who, according to the official website for this movie, is credited for saving the lives of hundreds of kidnapped and orphaned children. This accomplishment is even more amazing when one looks at Sam’s criminal past, a topic that is the focus of the first section of Machine Gun Preacher.

Having just been released from prison, Sam is met by his wife Lynn (Michelle Monaghan). After a passionate sexual interlude in the front seat of their Ford Pinto, Sam returns home where he greets his mother-in-law Daisy (Kathy Baker) and young daughter Paige (Madeline Carroll). Any love exhibited toward his wife just minutes earlier is quickly replaced by violent verbal anger when Sam discovers that during his incarceration Lynn found God and is no longer working as a stripper. Stomping out of the house, he joins his former buddies for a night of booze, drugs and attempted murder.

Determined to share her newfound faith, Lynn continues to beg Sam to join her at church. When he finally does, his spiritual commitment to Jesus Christ prompts him to give up liquor and drugs and do something positive with his life. Soon the family purchases their first home and the former rogue is operating a successful contracting business. Still determined to do more, Sam uses his building knowhow to construct his own church, with the aim of providing a place of worship for those who are just as troubled as he once was. The next step is even bolder. Listening to a visiting preacher talk about the plight of children in Sudan inspires this husband and father to head to Africa.

Initially arriving in the troubled country as a curious observer, Sam quickly gets caught up in the cause and demands the local government’s approval to build an orphanage in the middle of one of Sudan’s political hotspots. Not the type to take advice from anyone, Sam builds a hastily constructed structure that lacks guards or even a secure perimeter. So it is little surprise when his efforts are met with machine gun fire and rocket launchers. But his wife doesn’t allow him to wallow in dejection. She just tells him to build it again. This time he includes a barbed-wire fence reinforced with men and guns.

Continually facing one devastating calamity after another, Sam’s sermons at home become more agitated and aggressive as he attempts to milk support from parishioners with many problems and little to give. Trying to keep grips on his personal life, Sam risks losing his family, his home, the church and the children he is desperately trying to save. Yet he is determined to be a man of action pitted in the center of the battle, rather than providing relief in safer zones like some of the other aid workers (of whom he is critical).

If you come to this movie (which is rated R in the United States) expecting a warm and fuzzy story of Christian love, you will likely be disappointed and surprised. The violence is often explicit, profanities are frequent (there are about two-dozen sexual expletives alone), drug use is depicted (although serious consequences are included) and the early sexual scene is completely unnecessary. Put simply, this isn’t Sunday School.

Then there is the moral dilemma of Sam himself. While there is no question of his good intentions, watching the way he is portrayed in Machine Gun Preacher left me pondering the age-old question: Does the end justify the means?

Directed by Marc Forster. Starring Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan, Michael Shannon. Running time: 103 minutes. Theatrical release October 14, 2011. Updated

Machine Gun Preacher
Rating & Content Info

Why is Machine Gun Preacher rated R? Machine Gun Preacher is rated R by the MPAA for violent content including disturbing images, language, some drug use and a scene of sexuality.

Violence: Frequent depictions of violence with guns, knives, land mines and other weapons include some gory details. A child steps on a land mine and his corpse is seen with missing legs. A large group of burned and smoldering children’s corpses are piled in a heap. A man shoots an assassin who turns out to be a young child. Adult men are killed and wounded during battles. A fight and a severe stabbing incident occur after two men pick up a Native American hitchhiker. A man yells at his wife and child. 

Sexual Content: A married couple is viewed from a distance while having sex in a car—no nudity is seen. Later this same couple begins sexual activities in their home (kissing and passionate embracing are shown). A woman discusses her career as a stripper.

Language: Over two-dozen sexual expletives are used along with other profanity, scatological slang, and crude anatomical terms. Names of deity are used as expletives.

Drugs/Alcohol: Characters drink frequently, sometimes to the point of drunkenness. Injected drug use is portrayed in a few scenes, including one where a character is shown shooting up while driving a car. Later in the film, an addicted character is "rescued" and the effects of drug use are shown from a negative perspective.

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Machine Gun Preacher Parents' Guide

In the closing credits the"real” Sam asks the question (paraphrased), “If someone were to kidnap your daughter and I could get her back to you, would you care what methods I used to ensure her safety?” How would you answer this question? Are there times when violence is justified? An aid worker in the movie tells Sam there are too many guns in Africa already and he shouldn’t be employing violent methods to attempt to save children. Do you agree or disagree? Where is the balance in this equation?

The real Sam Childers and his wife Lynn have established an organization called Angels of East Africa.

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Machine Gun Preacher movie is June 5, 2012. Here are some details…

Machine Gun Preacher releases to home video on June 5, 2012.

Related home video titles:

Other real life depictions of people trying to help those in need are found in Dr. Lucille and Mother Teresa.