Photo courtesy of Jungle Films
The story of five Christian missionaries brutally speared to death at the hands of Waodani tribesmen, End of the Spear has been one of the most anticipated “Christian” movies in recent history, second only to The Passion. Due to the notoriously poor, cliché job that most religious groups do when trying to produce art, my expectations for this movie were not unreasonably high, considering that virtually unseasoned director Jim Hanon’s only other claim to fame is Beyond The Gates of Splendor (2005), a documentary perspective of the same story depicted in End of the Spear.
However, it is undeniable that End of the Spear featured some spectacular cinematography, breathtaking aerial shots and an overwhelmingly vivid portrayal of tribal Ecuador. Much of this is perhaps due to the setting in which the movie was filmed – one almost could not get a poor shot in those lush green forests if he tried – but some raw talent is evidently at work as well.
The movie lacks several key elements, however, that are imperative for a blockbuster to possess.
The first of these is a very distinct climax to the story. End of the Spear was ambiguous about this aspect of story developing, and one was left wondering whether or not he was experiencing the requisite “falling action” yet, or was he still awaiting the arrival of the movie’s high point?
The second ingredient needed in any good movie is a story with solid links and a compelling flow. Neither of these was present in End of the Spear.
It seems Hanon relied too heavily on the Christian audience to connect all the random dots scattered crazily about the film, and even the most dedicated of dot-connectors mightn’t be too sure what changes tribesman Kino’s life so drastically, or why Mincayani ceases to lead his people in their customary vengeful spearing of enemies.
Noticeably weak is a third element necessary for good movie making: solid character development. Granted, two of the most important characters – the tribesman Mincayani (Louie Leonardo, infrequently sighted on the set of NBC’s “Law & Order”) and Steve (Chad Allen, of extensive and diverse experience), the son of one of the missionaries murdered by Mincayani’s family – are developed nicely, but this makes the other performances all the more lackluster in comparison. The women’s roles were particularly stiff, unnatural and practically screamed “amateur,” save for that of an obscure Christina Souza, who played Dayumae, Mincayani’s sister.
In summary, whether this slipshod production is supposed to be a work of art, to drum up support and sympathy for foreign Christian missions, or to be an evangelistic tool, it fails on all three counts by virtue of its disorder, its inconsistency and the fact that it is nearly entirely devoid of any actual Christian truth other than (and I paraphrase) “you shouldn’t kill.”
Despite a couple of stellar performances and some genuinely beautiful camera work, what could have been an excellent, moving film about a relevant topic has tragically fallen on the end of its own spear.