End of the Spear - Movie Review

Nate Saint 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 forgiveness. However, the leader of the Waodanis, Mincayani, does not trust the white visitors, and believes they may have had something to do with the disappearance of a young girl from his tribe years ago. A meeting between Nate and Mincayani goes terribly wrong thanks to Nate's inability to understand the Waodani language, and Nate and four of his fellow missionaries are savagely murdered by the tribesmen. However, in the final moments of his life, Nate is able to impart a message in Mincayani that bears fruit years later when Steve Saint, Nate's son returns to continue the work his father started.

If this wasn't based on a true story, it would have been an OK plot, but since these events actually happened, it was an incredible story. The thought of finding a tribe of people who haven't had contact with "civilization" is far-fetched, but actually happened. Then add into the mix the fact that these missionaries had contact with them and ended up living with them makes for an amazing story that proves the old saying, "Truth is stranger than fiction." Having said all that, the movie could have been better since it had all of that material to work with. Instead, it focused a bit too much on the missionaries and the tribe separately instead of showing more of their lives together once they met, fought, made up and decided to co-exist. There had to have been some interesting conversations and interactions as the two sides shared their customs and methods of survival. Bottom line, it would have been better if it was a documentary. I'm in luck since there is a documentary about these events called Beyond the Gates of Splendor. I can't wait to see it.

Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Chad Allen, Louie Leonardo

I typically watch movies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while riding the ACE Train from Tracy to Santa Clara. The opinions expressed are those of me, myself and I.