Rissa From one humble Christian's perspective...Language level: 1 out of 5 Nothing objectionable.Sexual level: 0 out of 5 Absolutely none.Violence level: 2.5 out of 5 Some fighting, being held at gunpoint, etc. May not be suitable for children under the age of 13.Personal Thoughts: An excellent inspirational film, with a message of Christian hope.

bkoganbing A couple of passing Mormon Elders steered me to this film and I have to say it was not a bad choice. Filmed in both Salt Lake City and Kiev, The Saratov Approach is about two Mormon Elders on their mission in the Russian city of Saratov who are kidnapped by a pair of would be criminals and the LDS church itself given a ransom notice.As a tenet of the faith these young men and occasionally women do go on these two year missions to spread the faith. In that time if one is converted by them it's gravy. The meat and potatoes is to spread good will for the Church of Latter Day Saints. So Elders Propst and Tuttle are doing just that in the Russian they've learned in preparation for this assignment.Corbin Allred and MacLain Nelson do a good job in roles they are clearly too old for. Missionaries are usually 18 to 25 and the real Propst and Tuttle are identified as 23 and 20 in an article I read on the case. All the Mormon Elders I've ever encountered were about that age and the most recent two who recommended this film looked barely out of high school. In fact had they gotten two who looked like them to play Propst and Tuttle the film would have been better because the vulnerability would have increased exponentially.Alex Veadov and champion skater Nikita Bogolyubov play the kidnappers. Veadov is a Russian navy veteran and Bogolyubov just a follower in over his head. On certain levels the Elders do bond with the kidnappers, but it's hardly a Patty Hearst situation.The Saratov Approach is a nice film that would have been better with different casting of the Elders. It's also a commercial for the LDS church, but that's to be expected.And this review is dedicated to those passing Mormon Elders Reed and Hamilton both from rural parts of Utah who recommended The Saratov Approach as good material to review.

argrig A noticeably low-budget B-movie that is challenging your suspension of disbelief.It was probably filmed in Ukraine (since it's cheaper, I guess) and all the billboards and labels in "Saratov" are actually not in Russian, which is extremely annoying. (Imagine a movie showing New York, where everything is written in German. The "Russian" guy in one of the scenes can't even pronounce the word "christian" properly). When the characters enter a typical panel-block house in "Saratov", we end up seeing your typical Brooklyn lobby. This series of flukes never ends.The plot itself is predictable and spread out. The first 20 minutes of the film could easily be conveyed in 2 minutes. The rest of the movie maintains this ratio.

Jenniferproffit I just got back from seeing this film tonight and I was totally blown away. We were lucky enough to have the real Elder Tuttle ask questions from the audience after the film. He said the movie was at least 95% accurate to what actually happened when he and Elder Pobst were kidnapped for ransom. These young missionaries were beaten and had guns held to their heads. This is not your typical Mormon feel good, corny film. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. The filming was raw and very professionally done. I was moved by the inspiring reality of what these 2 young missionaries went through. I highly recommend seeing this film. I would love to see more theaters offer this type of quality movie to the public. It's not very often that a director will accurately portray 95% of the true story. Great details throughout the film!