Fifteen years after its release, Gerard Butler's 2011 action thriller *Machine Gun Preacher* has found a second life on streaming, sitting among the top 10 most-watched films on Paramount+ and also available free on Pluto TV. The film blends Butler's action-star credentials with his classical acting background, resulting in what the article calls one of his strongest performances, in a role that avoids becoming either a generic revenge film or a formulaic faith-based drama.

The film is based on the true story of Sam Childers, a former gang member and alcoholic who, after prison, is transformed by his wife's newfound Christian faith and a violent street encounter he interprets as divine intervention. Childers went on to join missions in South Sudan alongside the Sudan People's Liberation Army, protecting civilians from Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army, before finding deeper purpose in rebuilding communities rather than pursuing violence. Directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Marc Forster, the film also stars Michelle Monaghan and touches on criticism of America's foreign policy indifference towards the Sudanese conflict.