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MACHINE GUN PREACHERMovie Reviews
Action thriller based on a true story of a former drug dealer who rescues children in East Africa from a renegade militia that forces them to become soldiers. Cast:Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan, Kathy Baker, Michael ShannonDirector:Marc ForsterRelease Date:September 23, 2011DVD Release:June 5, 2012From:Relativity MediaRating:RLength:2 hr 3 min
Machine Gun Preacher played in key cities to weak reviews. • Claudia Puig wrote in USA Today, "...tedious... The story never delves into the lives of the children, who are represented here almost as scenery, interchangeable except for one who offers Yoda-like wisdom." • And James Rocchi wrote for MSN Movies, "...a hard-to-take mix of aspiration at its highest and human cruelty at its lowest." More Reviews Below...
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: MODERATE(cg) "...though director Marc Forster's film is rooted in actual events, it's hard to shake the uncomfortable sensation of watching yet another story that glorifies the white savior."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 460 words, 09/22/11
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: POOR(cg) "Marc Forster ('Quantum of Solace') directs with a gruelingly earnest, plodding sincerity, except that the film never gets beyond pulp psychology."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 103 words, 09/23/11
Claudia Puig, USA Today: WEAK(cg) "...tedious... The story never delves into the lives of the children, who are represented here almost as scenery, interchangeable except for one who offers Yoda-like wisdom."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 398 words, 09/23/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: MODERATE(cg) "...a combination of uplift and gritty violence, and the parts don't fit.... seems uncertain where it's going or what it's saying."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 697 words, 09/30/11
James Rocchi, MSN Movies: MODERATE(cg) "...the gulf between the sacred and the profane has rarely gaped so wide within the same film... a hard-to-take mix of aspiration at its highest and human cruelty at its lowest."(See all of James Rocchi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 715 words, 09/21/11
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...seeks to provide a human context to one of Africa's most brutal civil wars.... The action sequences are energetic and suspenseful but they don't always mesh well..."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 976 words, 09/29/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: POOR "...illustrates some of the ways that a terrific story can turn into a bad film despite the best intentions of everyone involved."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 658 words, 09/23/11
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "...lays it all on with a heavy trowel, believing he's giving Butler a pulpit from which to confess his acting sins.... far too high-and-mighty to truly be moving."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 155 words, 09/23/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...continues director Marc Forster's exploration of the central theme found in virtually all of his work... It could have used a good deal more of his discipline as well."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 988 words, 09/23/11
Kyle Smith, New York Post: WEAK(cg) "...good intentions are all that matters to this film by 'Finding Neverland' director Marc Forster, whose objective it is to win some good awards."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 306 words, 09/23/11
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: WEAK(cg) "...gives blood-soaked missionary work a bad name. It comes off like a morally unreliable story in which Gerard Butler saves Africa from itself."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 604 words, 09/30/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: MODERATE(cg) "...a combination of uplift and gritty violence, and the parts don't fit.... seems uncertain where it's going or what it's saying."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 697 words, 09/30/11
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: MODERATE(cg) "Pity this plodding film captures so little of the book's energy or that of the man himself. It doesn't come alive until the third act and by then it's too late."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 679 words, 09/30/11
Dave McGinn, Toronto Globe & Mail: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Marc Forster, who previously directed 'Quantum of Solace,' is constrained by reality, and so is left with a story that lacks much of a satisfying climax..."(See all of Dave McGinn's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 133 words, 09/07/11
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: POOR(cg) "The Lord may work in mysterious ways, but 'Machine Gun Preacher' is downright confounding.... it would be a better film if it acknowledged the contradiction inherent in its title..."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 592 words, 09/30/11
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: MODERATE(cg) "...the movie never convinces us that Forster is convinced himself. The director lines up this bad good man in his sights, but he never quite has the nerve to pull the trigger."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 571 words, 10/07/11
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a movie that so desperately wants to be important -- and so desperately wants to get its star, Gerard Butler, nominated for an Oscar -- that it ignores things like plot..."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 608 words, 09/30/11
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "If you'd pay to see a film called 'Hotel Rwanda: Maniac Manager,' you might be receptive to this mixed-message movie, but skeptics should keep one eye on the exit."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 345 words, 10/07/11
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: POOR(cg) "...ends as abruptly as it proceeds, with title cards proclaiming that nothing has changed.... The only happy ending is that 'Machine Gun Preacher' is ending."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 591 words, 10/06/11
Ann Lewinson, Boston Phoenix: MODERATE(cg) "...one day you're sitting on a toilet shooting heroin; the next you're building an orphanage... plays like an R-rated Christian movie spliced with a CARE PSA."(See all of Ann Lewinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 160 words, 09/29/11
Tasha Robinson, AV Club: VERY GOOD(cg) "...expresses something neither religious-uplift movies nor Great White Hope stories tend to acknowledge: the consuming frustration and loneliness that can come alongside a moral call to action."(See all of Tasha Robinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 507 words, 09/22/11
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: VERY GOOD(cg) "...as tales of imperialistic cultural colonialism as spiritual growth go, this one is solid stuff, equally horrific in depicting the real-life evils it is fighting as it is uplifting..."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 403 words, 11/06/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR "...dreadfully earnest script charts the hero's spiritual journey, and his Rambo-esque exploits, without offering a scintilla of mature perspective on his state of mind."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 178 words, 09/23/11
A.O. Scott, New York Times: POOR "...illustrates some of the ways that a terrific story can turn into a bad film despite the best intentions of everyone involved."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 658 words, 09/23/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...continues director Marc Forster's exploration of the central theme found in virtually all of his work... It could have used a good deal more of his discipline as well."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 988 words, 09/23/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: MODERATE "...a blunt, morally confused portrait of Sam Childers, the Philadelphia ex-con who found Jesus and has since devoted his life to rescuing children in war-torn Sudan."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 968 words, 09/12/11
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: MODERATE "...one can't escape the nagging feeling that the film doesn't dig deeply enough into its real-life hero. The film doesn't explore all those 'whys' and 'whats.' "(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 823 words, 09/12/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...continues director Marc Forster's exploration of the central theme found in virtually all of his work... It could have used a good deal more of his discipline as well."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 988 words, 09/23/11
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: GOOD(cg) "...what's really fascinating about 'Machine Gun Killer' is the story itself and the man at its center, who's both a dangerous psychopath and angelic saint..."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 831 words, 09/19/11
A.O. Scott, New York Times: POOR "...illustrates some of the ways that a terrific story can turn into a bad film despite the best intentions of everyone involved."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 658 words, 09/23/11
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR "...dreadfully earnest script charts the hero's spiritual journey, and his Rambo-esque exploits, without offering a scintilla of mature perspective on his state of mind."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 178 words, 09/23/11
15.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Machine Gun Preacher's reviews are separated by an average 15.9 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Machine Gun Preacher (39 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Machine Gun Preacher's reviews cover 52.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 19,814 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 508 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 40.7 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Machine Gun Preacher's reviews on average broke 40.7 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Machine Gun Preacher's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Machine Gun Preacher (39 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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