Jim Hanon Movies
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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louie Leonardo, Chad Allen, (more)
In 1956, a group of five American missionaries were sent to Ecuador, where they introduced themselves to the Aucas, a tribe of indigenous people who lived near the Eastern Amazon River. The Auca tribe was among the most violent societies on Earth -- six out of ten deaths among the tribe were homicide, and they were even more bloodthirsty with outsiders than they were with their own. The Americans attempted to convince the Aucas of their good intentions, but they were soon speared to death by members of the tribe. However, after word reached the United States that the missionaries had been murdered, the wife of one of the fallen men traveled to Ecuador to continue her husband's work. Within two years, a profound change came over the Aucas -- their murder rate fell by 90 percent, and in time, the newly peaceful tribe renamed themselves the Waodani. Beyond the Gates of Splendor is a documentary which recounts this extraordinary true story as Steve Saint, the son of one of the murdered missionaries, travels to Ecuador to visit with the Waodani tribe. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
