The Saratov Approach (2013) on Netflix
In 1998, two young missionaries, Elder Travis Tuttle and Elder Andrew Propst, serve in Saratov, Russia. A man named Nikolai invites them to his apartment to meet a friend.
- Netflix2.1/5
- IMDb5.5/102,240 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes60%
Trailer
Plot summary
It is March 1998, and Elder Travis Tuttle and Elder Andrew Propst are serving as missionaries in southeastern Russia. In Saratov, a man named Nikolai approaches them and asks them to visit his apartment to meet a friend. When the two arrive the following day, Nikolai and a second man, Sergei, beat them, tie them up and take them away. At a remote spot, the missionaries are chained to a pipe and photographed while a gun is kept on them. The kidnappers ask for a ransom of $300,000. Word of the abduction reaches the families in the United States, where Senator Gordon H. Smith calls Propst's father. News of the kidnapping spreads across the country.
Cast
- Peggy Mathesonas Donna Tuttle
- Brett Merrittas Mark Larsen
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Saratov Approach (2013)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Director Garrett Batty had wanted to make a film about the kidnapping of the LDS missionaries ever since he first heard their story in the news. Years later he contacted Propst and Tuttle; the two were skeptical at first, but met with Batty and shared their story.
- Production hit multiple snags: Batty underwent heart surgery shortly after his meeting with Propst and Tuttle, and financial backing took a while to manifest.
