drystyx
I knew what the story was, about the 5 missionaries who were killed by savages, and still more missionaries refused to give up on them.I hadn't realized how truly objective the film was going to be. We are given points of view of both villagers and missionaries. There is no sugar coating. We get the faults of humans, and their struggles. No one is spared this. Facts are there. It is what it is. There is no evangelism in this film. Only the acts of people helping a savage tribe survive and live past their teenage years, in spite of what more mercantile people want to do to the savages.Some have blindly lashed out against the film for being pro-Christian. I have to laugh at those immature minds and tell them to grow up. Fact is, missionaries are often the only help that poor, starving, ailing people have. I have never seen such objective story telling. If the Atheists truly are that afraid of Christian martyrs, that speaks volumes in itself.
jakers12367
Now before I begin my review, I just want to say that the genre of this movie was not one that I was heavily passionate about, if at all. I had decided that I would watch this movie, because I had enjoyed other projects that Chad Allen had been involved in, as well as his personal activism. I wanted to support his work and in an interview, he said that this film was one that he was very passionate about and that he was very proud of it. Going into it, I must repeat that I had no expectations. To my surprise, this story was both touching and inspiring. Between the selflessness of the five missionaries and the manner in which relationships build between the two different cultures, I really felt that this story was of great importance. Now onto the acting; There have been many threads dedicated to criticizing the casting choices, mainly Chad Allen, as well as the performances. I couldn't disagree more. I thought that Chad was perfect for the dual role and brought layers and realism to the storyline. Another standout was Louis (the man who played Minoyani). I truly believed his performance and found myself sympathizing with this murderer as some points, although I knew I shouldn't. All in all, i thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend this film.
siderite
This is a descriptive story, one that tells of real events, although I am certain they are highly edited. Basically, a bunch of white guys living in Ecuador decide to "save" the local savage tribes still living in the stone age, killing each other for women and hunting grounds.The missionaries are portrayed as real selfless people, with only a few scenes purporting to the religious aspect of their quest, which, in my opinion, was probably the main if not the only reason they were there in the first place.Due to a misunderstanding, the missionaries are killed, but their wives and children end up living in the village of their killers, turning the other cheek, as it were, and breaking the endless cycle of violence... by bringing polio to the enemy tribe :)Bottom line: it is a point of view breaker. By watching the movie, one gets to break out of their cozy view of the world and gather more insight into human nature. Understanding the amount of editing of the real story and the politics behind it brings more insight.
Kenneth Eagle Spirit
Without going into technical aspects and the like, because in this instance that sort of thing is secondary at best, this movie is extremely well done. But that isn't the point here really. The real point is that its done in such a way that ... You're THERE. You FEEL it, SEE it, HEAR it. Its one of those flicks that sucks you in and makes you a part of it. It makes a point, and it does that without beating anyone over the head with someone else's morality. That was a very pleasant surprise for me. This is a film that is well worth the view. Side note: Most of the players? Never heard of 'em. Any disappointments in that? Not one.
AD
