2008 Woodie Awards
End of the Spear: Average Movie Offers Above Average Message
Roger Priddy
Issue date: 1/31/06 Section: Arts & Entertainment
** (of 4), 108 Minutes, PG-13
Every movie critic must eventually face a daunting task; reviewing a movie that had aspects they personally liked very much, but a film at the same time they just didn't think was that great. End of the Spear is that movie for me.
End of the Spear is based on a riveting true story. It focuses on the Waodani tribe found in the eastern rainforest of Ecuador. The Waodani were part of one of the most violent societies the world has ever known. The Waodani literally lived and died by "the spear." For the tribe, life was sadly a choice between two alternatives: killing and living, or being killed and dying.
In 1956, five Christian missionaries traveled to the Amazon, on a mission to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to the Waodani. The missionaries hoped to lead the tribe away from its vicious cycle of violence. Unfortunately, the missionaries were just swept up into the violence, being brutally killed by the tribe. The spearing of the missionaries was famously documented by Life Magazine.
The missionaries' deaths were not the end, but only the beginning of the story. The missionaries' wives and children amazingly continued the work began by their husbands and fathers. Courageously, they went into the jungle and lived with the Waodani, facing violence head-on. Could the families forgive the people who killed their loved ones and defeat violence by leading the Waodani to a life of nonviolence? Miraculously, they did.
The true story behind End of the Spear is so poignant and powerful it's hard not to like the movie. It's such a beautiful story with such an inspiring message. It's filled with glorious hope and it's a rousing portrait of true courage. It's about sacrifice, it's about love; it's about going way over-and-above to help others and share your love with them. At its core is something so vital - the fight against violence and for peace. Unfortunately, I found most of the moving magic of the true events to be missing from the motion picture. I wanted to like End of the Spear so much. It offers such an above average message of forgiveness and understanding, but sadly, it's just an average movie.
The film is directed by Jim Hanon, whose only other credit is the documentary of the same story, The Gates of Splendor, released last year. End of the Spear is Hanon's first feature film, and you can tell it. Hanon shows glimpses of obvious talent; but the film tends to lose focus and be disconnected. It's a bit dry at times and it's too long. My strongest objection to the film is its emphasis and lack thereof. Powerful moments were underplayed and came across as weak. Parts that should have been subtle were over-the-top, and parts that should have been emphasized weren't emphasized enough. This unevenness left me feeling underwhelmed by what were very triumphant events.
End of the Spear has been criticized for being a "Christian film." That's a ludicrous criticism. If anything, as a Christian myself, I was disappointed by just how extremely underplayed the Christianity in this movie was. Hanon went to such painstaking efforts to make this a "mainstream" movie he loses the beautiful inner music and purpose of the incredible missionaries. Narnia was a fantasy, but its Christian elements were much more boldly and strongly presented than what's found in this true story. Sadly, we don't really get to know the missionaries and feel their mighty passion in End of the Spear. It's hard to identify with them, and difficult to see why they would leave their families and risk their lives because WHY they're doing what they're doing is so disappointingly underplayed. This bold story deserved to be told boldly.
Nonetheless, the movie had a number of positives. There's some beautiful imagery, particularly Ecuador, the tribe, and the missionaries flying in their plane. And there was also some surprisingly good acting from a virtually no-name cast. Chad Allen was good in a duel part of a missionary killed and his son years later and Louie Leonardo was mesmerizing as Mincayani, leader of the Waodani tribe. I was disappointed by End of the Spear, but it still is a dynamic story. I went to see it with my folks, and my father (a minister) really enjoyed it. And I imagine it easily beats the past week's newest releases, Annapolis and Big Mama's House 2 (which have been speared by critics).
And if you see End of the Spear, be sure to stick around for the credits. There's a couple of very entertaining clips inserted from the The Gates of Splendor, the true documentary of this story, and a movie I hope to see soon.
Every movie critic must eventually face a daunting task; reviewing a movie that had aspects they personally liked very much, but a film at the same time they just didn't think was that great. End of the Spear is that movie for me.
End of the Spear is based on a riveting true story. It focuses on the Waodani tribe found in the eastern rainforest of Ecuador. The Waodani were part of one of the most violent societies the world has ever known. The Waodani literally lived and died by "the spear." For the tribe, life was sadly a choice between two alternatives: killing and living, or being killed and dying.
In 1956, five Christian missionaries traveled to the Amazon, on a mission to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to the Waodani. The missionaries hoped to lead the tribe away from its vicious cycle of violence. Unfortunately, the missionaries were just swept up into the violence, being brutally killed by the tribe. The spearing of the missionaries was famously documented by Life Magazine.
The missionaries' deaths were not the end, but only the beginning of the story. The missionaries' wives and children amazingly continued the work began by their husbands and fathers. Courageously, they went into the jungle and lived with the Waodani, facing violence head-on. Could the families forgive the people who killed their loved ones and defeat violence by leading the Waodani to a life of nonviolence? Miraculously, they did.
The true story behind End of the Spear is so poignant and powerful it's hard not to like the movie. It's such a beautiful story with such an inspiring message. It's filled with glorious hope and it's a rousing portrait of true courage. It's about sacrifice, it's about love; it's about going way over-and-above to help others and share your love with them. At its core is something so vital - the fight against violence and for peace. Unfortunately, I found most of the moving magic of the true events to be missing from the motion picture. I wanted to like End of the Spear so much. It offers such an above average message of forgiveness and understanding, but sadly, it's just an average movie.
The film is directed by Jim Hanon, whose only other credit is the documentary of the same story, The Gates of Splendor, released last year. End of the Spear is Hanon's first feature film, and you can tell it. Hanon shows glimpses of obvious talent; but the film tends to lose focus and be disconnected. It's a bit dry at times and it's too long. My strongest objection to the film is its emphasis and lack thereof. Powerful moments were underplayed and came across as weak. Parts that should have been subtle were over-the-top, and parts that should have been emphasized weren't emphasized enough. This unevenness left me feeling underwhelmed by what were very triumphant events.
End of the Spear has been criticized for being a "Christian film." That's a ludicrous criticism. If anything, as a Christian myself, I was disappointed by just how extremely underplayed the Christianity in this movie was. Hanon went to such painstaking efforts to make this a "mainstream" movie he loses the beautiful inner music and purpose of the incredible missionaries. Narnia was a fantasy, but its Christian elements were much more boldly and strongly presented than what's found in this true story. Sadly, we don't really get to know the missionaries and feel their mighty passion in End of the Spear. It's hard to identify with them, and difficult to see why they would leave their families and risk their lives because WHY they're doing what they're doing is so disappointingly underplayed. This bold story deserved to be told boldly.
Nonetheless, the movie had a number of positives. There's some beautiful imagery, particularly Ecuador, the tribe, and the missionaries flying in their plane. And there was also some surprisingly good acting from a virtually no-name cast. Chad Allen was good in a duel part of a missionary killed and his son years later and Louie Leonardo was mesmerizing as Mincayani, leader of the Waodani tribe. I was disappointed by End of the Spear, but it still is a dynamic story. I went to see it with my folks, and my father (a minister) really enjoyed it. And I imagine it easily beats the past week's newest releases, Annapolis and Big Mama's House 2 (which have been speared by critics).
And if you see End of the Spear, be sure to stick around for the credits. There's a couple of very entertaining clips inserted from the The Gates of Splendor, the true documentary of this story, and a movie I hope to see soon.
