Joseph Kony is the most evil person of the 21st century. Who will stop the madman, responsible for some 400,000 deaths and abductions of at least 40,000 children, many of whom are forced into the Lords Resistance Army (LRS) after being raped, sold into sexual slavery, or forced to kill their parents? His army continues on the rampage in Southern Sudan and Northern Uganda, opposed by ill-equipped freedom fighters, including Pennsylvanian Sam Childers (played by Gerard Butler). But the main work of Childers, as portrayed in the biopic Machine Gun Preacher, is to rescue the orphans—and more. The film, directed by Marc Forster, begins in 2003 with a macabre scene of brutality in Southern Sudan (though the African part of the film is shot in South Africa). In the next scene, captioned "Years Later," Childers is discharged from prison and collected by his spouse Lynn (played by Michelle Monaghan). Then his "white trash" personality is traced as he seemingly reverts to his wild self with family and friends. When he demands that Lynn resume her career as stripper to make "good money," she refuses, saying that she has found the Lord. After more misconduct, he realizes that he can only be a good father by accompanying his wife and their daughter Paige (played by Madeline Carroll) to an evangelical service in Central City (though filmed in Detroit) and changing his ways to enjoy spiritual calm. One day, a guest preacher comes to church, urging members of the congregation to consider volunteering to help out in Uganda. Impressed, Childers goes to see for himself. Soon, sponsored by Deng (played by Souleymane Sy Savane), a local "freedom fighter," he is doing what he can to rescue the orphans, some from LRS captivity after gunfights, and he provides rehabilitation in the form of an orphanage, schooling, and recreation. To do so requires money for supplies. He returns home several times to preach in the congregation and engage in fundraising at an auto dealership and a bank. His work goes on, even today, because there is nobody else to do what he does. Having taken out a second mortgage on his home, he is increasingly obsessed with his mission in Africa, and he eventually loses control of himself and neglects his family. At the end of the film, he is brought back from the brink of lunacy in a very poignant manner. As credits role, pictures of the principals in the film are flashed on the screen, including a video with a plea from Childers himself. The Political Film Society has nominated Machine Gun Preacher for best film exposé, best film on human rights, and best film on peace of 2011. MH
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