Relativity Media have released the first trailer for Marc Forster's Machine Gun Preacher, the true story of Sam Childers [Gerard Butler] a former drug dealer who undergoes an astonishing spiritual transformation which results in him becoming the savior of hundreds of kidnapped & orphaned children, rescuing them from the horrific violence in one of the world’s most lawless areas in Sudan, & from one of the world’s most wanted and vicious terrorists Joseph Kony & his rebel army known as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Over 100,000 children have been captured and enslaved into Kony’s rebel army. These children are often forced to kill their parents or be killed themselves. Childers operates the biggest orphanage in an area so dangerous that few international aid groups dare enter. The movie is pretty much an oscar vehicle for Butler who judging from the trailer doesn't quite convince. The movie has also been picking up a lot of flack over the lack of credited black actors & the Hollywood candy coating of very powerful subject matter, in fact Childers is still in Africa right now saving lives. Machine Gun Preacher hits theaters this September 23rd. Hit the jump to check out the trailer in HD.
Gerard Butler with the real Sam Childers [right].
Synopsis: "In this inspirational true story, Machine Gun Preacher is about Sam Childers, a former drug-dealing criminal who undergoes an astonishing transformation and finds an unexpected calling as the savior of hundreds of kidnapped and orphaned children. Gerard Butler (300) delivers a searing performance as Childers, the impassioned founder of the Angels of East Africa rescue organization in Golden Globe-nominated director Marc Forster’s (Monster’s Ball, Finding Neverland) moving story of violence and redemption.When ex-biker-gang member Sam Childers (Butler) makes the life-changing decision to go to East Africa to help repair homes destroyed by civil war, he is outraged by the unspeakable horrors faced by the region’s vulnerable populace, especially the children. Ignoring the warnings of more experienced aide workers, Sam breaks ground for an orphanage where it’s most needed—in the middle of territory controlled by the brutal Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a renegade militia that forces youngsters to become soldiers before they even reach their teens.But for Sam, it is not enough to shelter the LRA’s intended victims. Determined to save as many as possible, he leads armed missions deep into enemy territory to retrieve kidnapped children, restoring peace to their lives—and eventually his own. The explosive, real-life tale of a man who has rescued over a thousand orphans from starvation, disease and enslavement, Machine Gun Preacher also stars Michelle Monaghan (Due Date), Kathy Baker (Cold Mountain), Madeline Carroll (Mr. Popper’s Penguins), Academy Award® nominated Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road) and Souleyman Sy Savane (“Damages”)."
Michelle Monaghan with the real Lynn Childers.
