End of the Spear (2005)
Average Rating: 5.2/10
Reviews Counted: 52
Fresh: 21 | Rotten: 31
Shoddy filmmaking and a lack of character development derail what could be a potentially compelling tale.
Average Rating: 4.3/10
Critic Reviews: 17
Fresh: 3 | Rotten: 14
Shoddy filmmaking and a lack of character development derail what could be a potentially compelling tale.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 14,084
My Rating
Movie Info
An indigenous people are turned from a life of violence to a more gentle and forgiving nature in this adventure drama based on a true story. Nate Saint (Chad Allen) is a pilot and Christian missionary who, with his family, lives and works in the jungles of South America near the Amazon. Nate is fascinated by tales he's heard of the Waodani, a violent and aggressive tribe living nearby, and with a group of fellow Christians takes it upon himself to teach them the importance of compassion and
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Cast
-
Louie Leonardo
Mincayani -
Chad Allen
Nate Saint/Steve Saint -
Chase Ellison
Young Steve Saint -
Sara Kathryn Bakker
Rachel Saint -
Cara Stoner
Marj Saint -
Jack Guzman
Kimo -
Christina Souza
Dayumae -
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All Critics (54) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (21) | Rotten (33) | DVD (7)
Although the film invests time among the tribesmen, it never really explores the idea that one man's missionary work is another's ideological aggression. And the movie is tentative, dramatically speaking.
Top CriticToo bad this sincere but inept movie doesn't do justice to any of the real people whose powerful story it tells.
This is a movie -- albeit one with a great, gripping story -- shot through with meaningful glances, middling performances and melodramatic music cues. Pity.
What does hold back this terrifically detailed and often-entertaining effort are the limitations of the script and uneven acting.
Filmmakers don't need stories with a religious agenda any more than they need ones with an irreligious one. They don't need stories with any agenda, frankly. They just need good stories.
This undramatic would-be piece of inspiration seems like made-for-TV fare for the Christian Broadcasting Network before it morphed into the Family Channel.
Unmoving story of white missionaries trying to save the poor indigenous people of Ecuador. Paul Chambers, CNN.
A squeaky-clean family of missionaries lives out their fantasy of "saving" a violent tribe of Ecuadorian jungle natives in this virulently wrong-headed movie.
Christian missionaries "save" Ecuadorian tribe.
[Director] Hanon seems more interested in exploiting his setting's lush green beauty than exploring the psyches of his bland Bible-thumpers.
Through the harrowing experience of two men as told in End of the Spear -- Steve Saint and Mincaye -- moviegoers can learn the power of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Only marginally uplifting and just passably enjoyable as a film. I know in my mind that these experiences were extraordinary for the people involved, but I never really feel it.
...for those of us who are not part of the choir being preached to, the story is a dealbreaker.
Jim Hanon's film is so awkward and anachronistic that it raises more questions than answers.
An amazing true story of faith and martyrdom
devoid of suspense and resonance
The vision and values the film celebrates are at such odds with the reality it has refashioned as a breathless melodrama, it is hard to not give in to temptation and poke fun at its unintentional camp.
I knew nothing about this movie going in %u2026 nothing. When I came out, I swore I would do everything I could to let people know about the wonders of "End of the Spear."
No level of noble intent by the filmmakers can compel me to recommend a work of cinema that's this cheap, simplistic and sloppy.
'End of the Spear' features some intensely violent scenes, but this thought-provoking movie never falters in emphasizing the power of forgiveness.
Audience Reviews for End of the Spear
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Latest News on End of the Spear
January 18, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: "Hitcher" Aims to Terrorize MoviegoersAfter a busy MLK frame which concluded with the Golden Globe Awards, Hollywood lets the dust settle...
January 19, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Spear," "New World" Are OK, Not GreatThis week at the movies brings us three culture clashes: Native Americans and Europeans ("The...
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