End of the Spear (2005)
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40% of critics liked it
(52 reviews) -
80% of users liked it
(14,084 ratings)
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… More 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 forgiveness. However, the leader of the Waodanis, Mincayani (Louie Leonardo), 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 (also played by Allen) returns to continue the work his father started. End of the Spear was adapted from the true story of Nate Saint and Steve Saint, which was previously brought to the screen in the documentary Beyond the Gates of Splendor. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Jim Hanon (II), Jim Hanon
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure
PG-13,
- In Theaters
- Jan 20, 2006 Wide
- Studio
- Beliefnet
Critic Reviews
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Desson Thomson, Washington Post
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.
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Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
Too bad this sincere but inept movie doesn't do justice to any of the real people whose powerful story it tells.
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Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
This is a movie -- albeit one with a great, gripping story -- shot through with meaningful glances, middling performances and melodramatic music cues. Pity.
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Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
What does hold back this terrifically detailed and often-entertaining effort are the limitations of the script and uneven acting.
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Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger
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.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
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Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Louie Leonardo
as Mincayani
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Chad Allen
as Nate Saint/Steve Saint
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Chase Ellison
as Young Steve Saint
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Sara Kathryn Bakker
as Rachel Saint
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Cara Stoner
as Marj Saint
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Jack Guzman
as Kimo
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Christina Souza
as Dayumae
- Gil Birmingham
