Plot: An American biker criminal finds God which leads him to go to the Sudan and start an orphanage which, in the face of attacks by the LRA, he begins to defend with armed force.
This is a biopic and, like so many biopics before, it can't make up its mind where the story is. Instead you get a "and then and then and..." narrative, like reading a Wikipedia article. So, is this a redemption story about a violent drug-abusing criminal who gets God and turns his life around? Is it a faith story about the trials and tribulations of a Christian trying to do what he thinks is God's work in Africa? Or is it a Heart of Darkness story about a Westerner who is almost destroyed by Africa? As a result of this indecision the story is repetitive and over-long. By the second half it seems to consist entirely of watching Gerard Butler travel to Africa and then back to America. There is an interesting spin on the usual Western "Save Africa" sort of film. Aware that such films usually lack popular appeal, this film tries to broaden its audience with lots of modern shaky-came combat and an appeal to fellow (especially in the US) Christians to help their brothers in Africa. It doesn't really work. Partly because the battles are repetitive (the same stunt involving an RPG and a jeep is used three times) but mostly because they are disconnected from most of the rest of the story. They make great trailer fodder, but little else. Whilst the Christian aspects never seem to quite work, partly, I suspect, because the Director isn't a theist. I did however appreciate the treatment of the American Midwesterners. As one of the few groups you're still allowed to hate (see "Red State"), it was nice to see them treated with a little respect rather than just as redneck, hillbilly, Bible-bashin' racists with guns.
This is a biopic and, like so many biopics before, it can't make up its mind where the story is. Instead you get a "and then and then and..." narrative, like reading a Wikipedia article. So, is this a redemption story about a violent drug-abusing criminal who gets God and turns his life around? Is it a faith story about the trials and tribulations of a Christian trying to do what he thinks is God's work in Africa? Or is it a Heart of Darkness story about a Westerner who is almost destroyed by Africa? As a result of this indecision the story is repetitive and over-long. By the second half it seems to consist entirely of watching Gerard Butler travel to Africa and then back to America. There is an interesting spin on the usual Western "Save Africa" sort of film. Aware that such films usually lack popular appeal, this film tries to broaden its audience with lots of modern shaky-came combat and an appeal to fellow (especially in the US) Christians to help their brothers in Africa. It doesn't really work. Partly because the battles are repetitive (the same stunt involving an RPG and a jeep is used three times) but mostly because they are disconnected from most of the rest of the story. They make great trailer fodder, but little else. Whilst the Christian aspects never seem to quite work, partly, I suspect, because the Director isn't a theist. I did however appreciate the treatment of the American Midwesterners. As one of the few groups you're still allowed to hate (see "Red State"), it was nice to see them treated with a little respect rather than just as redneck, hillbilly, Bible-bashin' racists with guns.