End of the Spear
by Jim Hanon
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Chad Allen, Chase Ellison, Christina Souza (II), Jack Guzman, Louie LeonardoDirector: Jim Hanon
Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 111 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-06-13
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Movie Reviews of End of the Spear
Movie Review: A Muddled, Stale Movie.
Summary: 1 Stars
"End Of The Spear" is based on one of the most famous stories within Christian missionary circles, the story of a group of missionary families who ventured into the most remote areas of Ecuador's jungles in the 1950s to Christianize local indigenous tribes, tragically five men were killed when they attempted to make contact. This makes for interesting material, unfortunately, director Jim Hanon reduces his story to a muddled series of segments, an unclear narrative and a "Christian film" that never gets any sort of clear philosophy or message across.
The film kicks off with some gorgeous cinematography, fully capturing the beauty of South American landscapes, we also meet some fascinating Indian characters and the members of their tribes and families. All this feels very authentic and well-researched. The movie immediately goes downhill however, when the whole missionary storyline comes into play. The screenplay by Bart Gavigan, Jim Hanon and Bill Ewing introduces us to the missionaries, their wives and one son, and they comes across as nice, pleasant folks, but we never learn exactly what it is they are here for. They have set up a very Americanized camp where they live suburban 1950s American lifestyles in the middle of the jungle, but the film never explains what their specific ideas, plans or goals are as missionaries. They could be United Fruit workers for all we know. We hear a lot about "making contact," but what for? Is it to convert the natives to Jesus? Why do these people feel compelled to convert the Indians? This is never explored or ever explained. In a film about religious personalities, it is interesting and disappointing to see how the film simply ignores or evades the details of the spiritual drive behind these characters. Maybe Hanson believed this would make the film more commercially attractive. Consider that the term "Bible" or the name "Jesus" are never once uttered in a film which is about people supposedly destined to introduce these elements to the Indians, and you'll only know that if you research the story after watching the movie.
After the tragic, main event of the film takes place, the dead missionaries' widows go live among the Indians. This could have turned into a fascinating story of cultures meeting or a serious look at one foreign group trying to introduce an indigenous culture to their religion, like Salvador Carrasco's much deeper, realistic "The Other Conquest," serious philosophical, spiritual topics would have made for a riveting story. Instead the missionary widows become invisible, almost background characters while Hanson throws a bunch of "action scenes" at us including a river battle with an anaconda. There is quite a lot of carnage in "End Of The Spear," including battles with jaguars, women being hauled away to cook for conquerors and people being impaled, but it has no payoff. The ending gives the assumption that "forgiveness" is the main theme of the movie, but again, it is never explored with the kind of depth and attention it demands.
Christian films have lately become a hot commodity, especially in the Bush era, post-"Passion Of The Christ" America, but even the worst of the lot ("One Night With The King," "Left Behind") have clear, understandable messages. You don't have to agree with them, but you understand the theology or philosophy behind the story. "End Of The Spear" only offers bloody battles, even a surge of polio in the jungle, but we never get why characters are where they are, why they do what they do, or what they even think or feel inside. Indian characters change their views, one even converts to whatever the missionary women are offering, but we never learn why or how. There is never a single shot of a Bible being handed out or any of the missionary women actually teaching or saying anything to the Indians that would make them convert. "End Of The Spear" is a stale film with no story. It is a film that feels as if it knows what it's about, but never lets us in on the secret.
Summary of End of the Spear
Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 06/10/2008 Run time: 111 minutes Rating: Pg13Drama DVD Video
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