“End of the Spear” is based on the true story of American missionaries killed by the Waodani tribe in Ecuador in the 1950s. The film tells a remarkable story of forgiveness and change.

The Waodani tribe’s history is a violent one. It was not unusual for the Waodanis to raid a neighboring tribe and slaughter every man, woman and child within that tribe, or to take the females as wives. If one of their own tribesman wronged another, it was not unlikely that that tribesman would face death at the end of the wronged man’s spear.

Foreigners especially were not to be trusted as it was assumed that they were all cannibals.

When Nate Saint and four other missionaries make their way into the Ecuadorian jungle to teach the Waodanis about God, the tribe brutally murders all five men out of their fear of the unknown.

After the wives of the missionaries learn of their husbands’ execution, they decide they must make an effort to help end the Waodani’s cycle of violence.

With the help of a few tribe members and Dayumae, a Waodani woman who fled the tribe years earlier, the American women are allowed to visit the tribe. The hostile leader of the tribe, Mincayani, resists the influence of outsiders but allows the women’s presence despite his disapproval.

When an epidemic forces the tribe into a two month quarantine alongside their fiercest enemies, the missionaries as well as a neighboring tribe, the cycle of violence finally finds its end.

Years later, the son of one of the slain missionaries comes back to bury his aunt who lived the rest of her days with the Waodanis.

Critics far and wide are panning this film for various reasons. Some say that the tribesmen are depicted in an “ooga-booga” way and others criticize the film for being “overtly Christian” or for “proselytizing.” One critic cited the opening voiceover, which states that peace will only come when we change our hearts, as a warning bell that this film is going to be preachy, (since that statement clearly can ONLY mean accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior, yeah right!).

I disagree with the critics on this one, however. It seems I rarely do agree with the big name critics these days, though. I think “End of the Spear” is a well made and interesting film featuring beautiful landscapes and a great soundtrack. Because it finds its basis in a true story there are bound to be some ugly elements. There were moments where I felt that the American missionaries seemed ignorant and a few statements made me cringe, but do I think that it’s possible that people in the 1950s made ignorant or stupid statements for lack of knowledge? Absolutely! Do people still do that today? Absolutely!

That does not discredit what the men and women of this story attempted, and succeeded, in doing: they helped end a cycle of violence that left the Waodanis nearly extinct.

So, if you’re an overly sensitive person who places so much emphasis on political correctness that you want to rewrite history, then I would recommend you pass on this film. If you aren’t offended by missionaries or if you simply enjoy a good story about how powerful forgiveness can be, check out “End of the Spear.”

I will warn you that there are several scenes that are very violent: I even had to close my eyes a time or two, but overall it’s worth a trip to the theater.

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