Movie Review
The End of the Spear
Matthew Everhard, Special to the Layman Online, February 2, 2006
I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the movie The End of the Spear for as long as I have known that it was in production, and recently my wife and I were finally able to see it in the theater. As former missionaries to Central America, this true story of courage, dedication and faith has continually ministered to us through the years, especially as told through the first person writings of Jim and Elizabeth Elliot. And now, this timeless story has been preserved in another significant format via this new, high- quality big screen production.
The film itself, though boasting a modest production budget ($10 million), is well done for being the product of a little-known and little-experienced production company (Every Tribe Entertainment). It surpasses most other “Christian movies” such as the forgettable Left Behind series in overall quality and impact. Of course as a youth pastor, I am always attuned to what I call the “cheese factor.” This movie, I can say confidently, is nearly cheese-free. The acting for the most part is compelling and does an excellent job drawing the viewer into the intensity of the Waodani’s violent cultural context. Most significantly, the mere fact that the story is true is moving in and of itself. (Some characters and events have been modified or combined for the sake of brevity.)
There is absolutely no unacceptable language in this film, but the watchful parent may be wise to see the movie alone first, as it does contain some restrained scenes of violence. Overall, I feel that the movie is probably all right for some middle-schoolers and above.
Unfortunately the choice of Chad Allen in the starring role of Nate (and Steve Saint) is disturbing. Allen’s promotion of homosexual activity is well known in some circles, but may hit many Christians blind-sided who are unaware of his off-screen ideology. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler makes several excellent points on this matter in his recent review “What Were They Thinking? The Controversy Over The End of The Spear.” At the very least, I was deeply disappointed at the selection of Allen in portraying a man of such deep Christian devotion as Saint was.
As for the theological content of the movie, the evangelical Christian may find it wanting. The missionaries’ ardent passion to proclaim the saving gospel of Jesus Christ to the Waodani people is left to be assumed by an audience likely to be familiar with the story. In any case the true motive (historically, their desire to see the Waodani saved by grace through faith in Christ) of Saint and Elliot and their comrades in giving their lives in martyrdom is left nearly unmentioned in the movie. Though the dialogue occasionally hints at the missionaries’ true motives to convert the Waodani, it is at the very least understated in the film.
Nevertheless, the missionaries are often portrayed giving life-lessons about God, once even mentioning God’s Son, but this dialogue is limited almost always to the context of God’s desire for the Waodani to give up the practice of “spearing,” so prevalent to Waodani culture. The movie, I believe, does eventually yield credit to God for being the heart-changing force that ultimately brings the practice of spearing one’s enemies to an end, but does so in a slightly more covert fashion than I would have liked.
In conclusion, I do recommend this movie, despite its less than enthusiastic portrayal of Christian missionary zeal. Nevertheless, I also recommend that the movie watcher read Elizabeth Elliot’s Through the Gates of Splendor prior to viewing the film in order to catch a real glimpse of the five missionary families’ hearts. The utter abandon in which the Elliot family, the Saint family and the others devoted their lives to proclaiming the Lordship of Jesus Christ is truly admirable, and has particular value to a time and culture like our own, which has in most regards backed away from the exclusive claims of our Lord Jesus Christ, to be the Savior of “every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9).
Matthew Everhard is the author of Rock Solid: Helping Teens Discover the Truth of Christianity (2005, PLC Publications) and the Director of Youth and Family Ministries at Hudson Presbyterian Church.