End of the Spear Premiere

We went to see "The End of the Spear" last night at the Marcus West Towne Theater. It was probably the most amazing movie I have ever seen. By the end of the movie, there was not a dry eye in the house, including the male viewers.

It told the story of five missionaries--Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully and Peter Fleming--who were martryed by the fierce, isolated Waodani tribe in the Ecuadorian jungle. This event happened fifty years ago and is narrated through the eyes of Steve Saint, who was five years old when his father was speared to death.

The Waodani was the most murderous culture on the planet, with a homicide rate of 50-60%, due to their practice of revenge killing. (50-60% of ALL deaths from the late 1800s to the 1950s were homicides).

One fact that the movie did not really bring out was the reason for the missionaries' urgency in reaching the Waodani. According to articles written by Steve Saint, they felt that the Waodani were in danger of extermination. Besides killing themselves in record numbers, they were drawing the ire of the government and Big Oil. According to a 10-year old article from Steve Saint (accessible here), the Waodani had attacked and killed workers from Shell Oil, making them a potential military target. This increased the urgency of the missionaries trying to reach them.

The widows of the slain missionaries demonstrated incredible love and faith in God's calling by going to live in the jungle with the Waodani after their husbands were killed.

The production quality of the film was excellent and I appreciated the fact that the actors were NOT marquee-names who would have distracted from the believability of the movie. The aerial shots of the forest and river were breathtaking. I would highly recommend it, although some of the spearing scenes--while not as graphic as many--are probably too intense and frightening for children. A mature teenager could probably handle it.

There is a book, Through the Gates of Splendor, by Elisabeth Elliot and a documentary movie, Beyond the Gates of Splendor, which both sound very worthwhile.

I predict that Hollywood will generally ignore this movie, or give it unfavorable reviews. This is ironic, because this film depicts the values that Hollywood elites always pretend to espouse, but truly do not understand--love, self-sacrifice, forgiveness, courage, faith, belief and humility.

Go see it. You won't regret it.