Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

I was spellbound as I watched this story unfold. A terrible tragedy that was national news headlines, was turned into an unbelievable triumph by the complete forgiveness of the wronged parties, and the power of God to truly transform the minds and hearts of everyone involved. After five missionary men were murdered by tribesmen in the rain forest of Ecuador, their wives and children went back to the tribe and lived with them. Strengthened by God and dependent upon His protection, they taught the people of this culture the power of forgiveness, love, and compassion. In the words of the tribesmen themselves, if the missionaries had not come to them, they would have continued to kill each other to the point of extinction.

This documentary is not a sermon--it is about Christians living out their faith. For those that complain about the politically correct approach to the documentary, I'd have to disagree. The faith of those involved is self-evident by their actions.We sometimes forget all but one of the original 12 disciples was martyred for their faith--and even then John barely escaped a pot of boiling oil.The wives of the men slain could have easily--many would have said should--walked away from the Waodani. Instead, they stayed and they've returned with subsequent generations of the same families. Over the years they all had contact with and spent many months in the Waodani villages, among the same men who had killed their husbands. Their children--the grand-children of the men who were killed--now call the man who killed their natural grandfather grandfather. It is truly amazing.One of the most compelling statements made in the movie was that of one of the children of the men slain--she wanted to be baptized in a place and among people that meant the most to her. She was baptized by the same men who killed her father, in the same river her father's body was dumped. If this is not a statement on the power of forgiveness, nothing is.The men who first approached the Waodani and paid the ultimate price said a very simple thing when asked why they shouldn't bring guns "just in case." Because they were ready to go to heaven and the Waodani were not. These were men who lived their faith, simply, easily, and actively. This is a superb document to not only their living faith, but that of their wives and family who are also living it out, not by slamming Christianity in our faces, but by living as Christ did--by relationship and teaching.

I have heard this story of the 5 murdered missionaries in 1956, all my life, and have looked forward to seeing this movie, Beyond the Gates of Splendor, for some time.But, I thought that these folks were bringing the love of Jesus Christ to these uncivilized people. I do not recall one mention of Jesus, Christ, or even the generic "God." I seem to remember the phrase that Jim Elliot said, something like we will not shoot them to defend ourselves, we know that we are going to heaven, we are not sure about them, a very nice moment. But that was about it, as I remember.I was VERY disappointed with this "politically correct" editing. It could have been more inspirational, instead of educational. Other than that, the story as told/edited by sociologists and those who prefer to only speak in secular "verbage," is still next to none.Having the actual people filmed telling what happened was FANTASTIC.

This is the most compelling documentary and story I have ever experienced. I was only vaguely familiar the story. The idea of going to live with people who killed one of my loved ones is difficult to understand. Even the idea of why the families were there in the first place is foreign to our American culture. The music in this documentary sounds like movie music, and the people in the story are amazing, the north and south Americans.Clearly this amazing tribe would have wiped themselves out if it were not for the missionaries. They should make a feature film about this story.