|
End of the Spear
Directed by: Jim Hanon
Starring: Louie Leonardo
Genre:
Drama
Run Time: 108 min.
Release Date:
January 2006
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
I'm not a fan of
religiously based films. I'll watch them if they're told well—Narnia's a
recent example, too—and will give them positive reviews (as indicated
here) if they don't hammer me over the head with symbolism or an
overly-righteous message. I'm also not a supporter of missionaries who
take it upon themselves to "save the souls of savages" by inflicting
their values of right and wrong on a culture that's survived and thrived
for longer than any of us could imagine. Even so, END OF THE SPEAR is a
moral message that speaks succinctly to the viewer without going
overboard (with one exception that I'll point out in a minute).
The story is of Christian missionaries who try and stop the warring
Waodani tribe that've been killing themselves for millennia. Family
feuds and the need for well-bred women are usually the causes of these
deadly incursions. The missionaries believe that the Waodani may be on
the brink of extinction (something I have a bit of trouble believing but
swallowed nonetheless).
Nate Saint (Chad Allen) is one of these missionaries and he and three
other men find a Waodani tribe and decide to make contact with them by
landing a plane on a small beach outcropping. Once the meeting takes
place, a fast-forward set of circumstances results in the death of all
the missionary men. Left behind is young Steve Saint (Chase Ellison),
Nate's preteen son, who years later finds the tribesman (Louie Leonardo
as Mincayani) who killed his father. A battle of self-will, justice, and
Godly wisdom soon presents itself and young Steve (now grown) has to
decide what his father would've wanted.
This is what appealed to me. Not the religious connotations, but the
growing understanding of a young man that killing the man who killed his
father would not only solve nothing, but instead would go against
everything his father stood for (not necessarily what God stood for).
My biggest beef with the story are the aforementioned "saving the souls
of savages" (Did Christianity do anything for Native Americans?) and a
scene involving what happened to Steve's father after he was speared.
This scene was the only "forced" one that tried too hard to shove God
down the viewer's throat. It wasn't needed. Those who believe in God
would've gotten the message regardless, and those who don't still
would've benefited from the morality being focused on.
The positives, though, far outweigh anything negative I could say. The
cinematography of the Amazon rainforest is fairly breathtaking and a
message of "no war" is definitely something we all need to be cognizant
of, especially with what's going on in Iraq, Iran, North Korea,
Palestine, Kosovo, and many other locations.
This is a good film. Not great, but certainly entertaining enough to
hold even the Atheists among us in thrall ...if just for a little while.
(back to top) |
Image from End of the
Spear
DVD cost: $11.39
Purchase:
Tower.com
Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy:
Billionaire Mart Green
owns 'Every Tribe Entertainment', the company that produced End of the
Spear. He is a very conservative Christian.
Movie Quote: "No
one's ever made contact with these people and lived to tell about it."
Other Actors/Actresses
from End of the Spear
   |
