User reviews

First and foremost, Brigham City is a murder mystery. But it's also a story about how a murder can make victims of everyone who lives in a small town that is supposed to be safe.

While Brigham City is set in a predominantly Mormon town in Utah, but it could just have easily been any small town in America and the people could have been of any faith (or none at all). The people of the town feel safe and secure. No one locks they're doors. Everyone knows everyone else. Then their sense of security is shattered by a spree of vicious murders. Suddenly everyone is on his guard and quick to distrust those they have trusted for years.

The plot of Brigham City really has the feel of a traditional Hollywood thriller, the addition of Mormon culture give the film a higher level of depth. While the film is about Mormons and provides some brief glimpses into their beliefs and customs, it does not attempt to convert audience members to the LDS church.

In his second film, Richard Dutcher does an admirable job of bringing this story to the big screen. The film feels more professional and polished than his previous entry (God's Army), but at the same time doesn't feel like the typical Hollywood fare.

What works in this movie is Dutcher's attention to detail and the depth of the characters. I was pleased to see how the violence in the movie was implied rather than shown directly. I was also impressed by the casting of Wilford Brimley. There may have been a commercial reason for him being attached to the film, but his presence gave the film a feeling of familiarity.

Dutcher also makes great use of camera angles and music to cast each person as a suspect. This is also the film's low point, as it is used so much it begins to bog down the story. Non-Mormons may feel that certain points of the movie are a bit too preachy.

All in all, Brigham City is a decent movie. I don't recommend it for younger children, as some of the implied violence may be disturbing, but most people over 13 will probably be drawn into the story the same way you would a traditional Hollywood thriller.

You might ask why I (a non-Mormon) interested in seeing Brigham City. Since I manage the movie theater where the film is playing I wanted to be able to give an informed opinion about the movie. As a movie fan, I was interested to see how Brigham City stood up to other Hollywood and independent films. As a person, I was interested for the glimpse of Mormon culture the film provided.

For a gentile like myself, Brigham City is both a good murder mystery about a serial killer and a nice insight into a community where the Mormon culture predominates. The film is the creation of Richard Dutcher who wrote, directed, and starred in it.

Dutcher wears two hats in this film and something you're not likely to see in a gentile setting. He's both the bishop and spiritual leader of the town and the sheriff. Being that must be a unique experience, in most small town the function of the local cops is mainly breaking up bar fights and writing speeding tickets. As one of the tenets of the LDS church is non-imbibing of liquor that is something he might not have to deal with. Still Dutcher and his deputy Matthew Brown do have an influx of other kinds of people in the town engaged in the construction trade. The place is booming.

And so when a serial killer strikes the folks in Brigham City find it inconceivable that the perpetrator could be one of them. Eventually they have to explore the possibility.

When a young girl goes missing, Dutcher deputizes a bunch of people and they do a house to house search which in another setting somebody might complain about a little thing like the Constitution. He does uncover a wrongdoer, but not in the same vein of what he was looking for.

I did like the scenes very much of the everyday life in a Mormon community it gives some great insights. For instance Brown talks about saving money for various things including the mission trip his infant son will eventually make. Not something you would hear in another film.

Dutcher is an imaginative film maker and he's turned out a good one here that can be appreciated outside the state of Utah.

The worst thing about going to a mystery movie, is to have the perpetrator revealed too quickly. Brigham City is able to keep its secrets well enough that while you are convinced you know who the guilty party is, you don't find out until the last few moments of the film.

The other engaging aspect of the movie is that it also wisely utilizes both the setting (a small Utah town) and the cultural and religious traditions of the mormon church. Mormons are a group that are often denigrated and little understood by most of American Society. Dutcher is able to successfully integrate Mormon traditions of worship and belief into the plot. While some may find this to be too blatant at times, I think he is able to successfully balance his desire to use this as a backdrop for his murder mystery.

As someone who lived in Utah for about two years, I thought Dutcher was very able to capture many aspects of contemporary Rural Utah/Mormon Culture that are quite unique....so if you would like to understand a little more about mormonism, without inviting the Mormon Missionaries into your home, I think this is a great way to do it, while being entertained at the same time, by a great WHODUNIT plot.

An exceptionally well done portrayal of depravity in a Mormon context. Richard Dutcher does en excellent job of acting and directing.

Sleepy little Utah town and Mormon enclave Brigham City questions its faith as it loses its innocence to a serial killer. An excellent mutlilayered one-man-band indie, "Brigham City" works well as a whodunit, even better as a human drama, and still better as a provocative examination of issues of faith in the presence of evil. A tad obvious, somewhat sanitized, and not without its plotholes, "BC" should be an entertaining and worthwhile watch for most mature adults into serious-minded drama irrespective of faith. (B)

Brigham's sheriff -- a terribly sad, but extremely decent man -- is forced to admit that there is a serial killer in his small, friendly, pretty little town. He sets about looking for the killer from what appears to be a hopelessly blinkered perspective, refusing to believe that anyone but an "outsider" could be responsible. He gradually finds his way to the answer, and it hurts to watch. I could happily see a film by this director every day of the week. This was absolutely brilliantly done -- such a nice change from all the crash and bash of more typical overacted, overplotted, punctuated-by-explosions movies. Dutcher gives the lie to the idea that movie characters (especially the police) need to be wisecracking, high-octane, postmodern cardboard cutouts in order to solve a crime. It's a rare example, too, of a film filled with deeply religious people who are not simply a bunch of flakes.

When I read that the director casted himself in the lead, I thought, "well, boy, it seems the only way for you to get a role". I couldn't be more mistaken.

Script: Richard Dutcher - brilliant

Directing: Richard Dutcher - brilliant

Lead: Richard Dutcher - brilliant

Although the atmosphere of the movie is somewhat depressing, something I am usually not looking for, I was nothing but impressed.

Brigham City is a character driven thriller with nice twists and takes a very close look at religiously fundamentalist small town life in the U.S. Bottom line is, no matter how much you try to shield your whole-world-community from the hazards of the "outside world", you can't. The script has some nice twists and stays suspenseful until the murderer is finally discovered, but the real plot revolves around the sheriff and his world being turned upside down.

Unfortunately we have experienced something terrible and unexpected in our community, too, and it takes in fact some time until you are able to admit the truth - you just think you are in the wrong movie.

Dutcher takes you on an emotional ride with the sheriff to exactly that point.

I didn't mind this movie too much... the only problem was that I was half asleep until there were about 20 minutes left, and things FINALLY started to get interesting. The acting is very well done, but I felt very un-informed throughout much of the movie. The characters have NO background, and there seem to be way too many loopholes in the plot. I think it could have been much more suspenseful if the director had tried a little harder. It almost felt as if I was watching "Murder, She wrote" (I'm a huge fan of that show, though.) I'm giving this one a 6/10, for just being, well, kinda boring... ;-)

I was attracted to the movie based on the high ratings. The beginning was interesting enough, but then the pacing slowed down and the storyline wasn't much more than a TV police show type crime mystery. Overall the production quality and acting are what you'd expect from a TV movie. Not really worth it unless you are specifically interested in the Brigham / Mormon angle (which is frankly not much explored anyway).

You know, when most people hear about this movie and they find out that writer/producer/director/star Richard Dutcher is a Mormon... and that the movie has a definite Mormon agenda... they are going to be rolling their eyes and thinking, "That can't be any GOOD!" (Heck, that was my own reaction initially.) This movie is about a small Mormon town who's quiet tranquility is rocked with the seeming arrival of a serial killer in their midst. I don't even want to say anything more about the plot lest I give something away. Suffice to say that the movie is one of the best-written AND directed AND acted (with the exception of co-star Wilford Brimley, I don't think anyone is a "professional" actor) police thrillers I have seen in recent years! And no, I'm not a Mormon! Richard Dutcher has really done something unexpected here... by infusing a traditional thriller with an examination of faith... and emotion... and humanity... the movie works on all levels... topped off by a searing ending. I was really blown away by this movie (though I still have no intentions of joining the Mormon Church.)

This film is low budget and for a while made me think it was just a Mormon advert. It is - but if you find yourself thinking that while you're watching, I'd advise sticking with it. There are flaws around the plot development and acting, but it's a movie that resolves well while leaving you pondering a few questions about things beyond the storyline.

Dutches stars in, writes and directs this LDS movie about a perfect Mormon town shattered by the presence of s serial killer.

Whilst this does occasionally get a little preachey the religion aspects are generally kept well in check such that there is an audience for this outside the mid west. In fact the key element here is the added difficulty faced by a community largely cut off from the big bad world and the dilemmas this brings. In the unlikely role of sheriff and bishop, Dutcher is fine and this does actually show some craftsmanship as an enjoyable thriller.

Always nice to see Wilford Brimley who shines in the supporting cast.

Only real bum note is the really lame role of the FBI agent which doesn't really stack up as anywhere near believable.

Good effort though.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I watched it knowing it wasn't going to be a light-hearted film, which was an advantage over many people I know who went to it thinking it was a happy ending sort of show. I must admit it was a little odd to see the goings-on of LDS church meetings and other LDS cultural aspects on the big screen, but it is territory that needs to be covered so that future movies that cover similar territory won't be weighed down with reviews about the LDS church rather than focusing on the movie at hand. I watched the DVD a second time with Richard Dutcher's audio commentary and, after that, I concluded that he is someone who is conscientious about finding the balance in film in regards to the religious issues dealt with, not too pro or too anti. I was quite amazed as to how resourceful he was, considering their meager budget he had to work with. The outcome was superb and he told the story in a simple, yet elegant way. I look forward to Mr. Dutcher's next film.

Slow burner that in the end fizzeled out. I wanted to like it more and the premise was good but the final killer reveal left me somewhat disappointed. For a good twist you need clues you didn't spot. This just goes "here's the killer".

This is not a bad film in spite of having to endure the LDS propaganda. I suppose that having the film set in Utah among the Mormons does add something that makes it a unique mystery. What really bothered me about the film, though, was the sheriff's actions in having all the houses in Brigham searched. What was he thinking? It doesn't matter what his motives were. This was a blatant violation of the Bill of Rights (Fourth Amendment), the basis of our freedom. Poor Steve. Not only can illegal searches result in humiliation, but they can also be used to suppress opposition to those in authority. Surely, that doesn't happen in small communities in Utah.

Dutcher has done it again.

I went in to the theater hopeful, but a little skeptical. As the movie progressed I found myself criticizing the details--there were a few rough lines; the music was heavy-handed in a few places; some of the scenes moved too slowly.

But the whodunnit element worked for me, and from the audible gasps of others in the theater, I would say it worked for almost everyone there.

But it is the final scene (after the murder mystery has been solved) that made the film worth seeing. Almost never have tears fallen down my cheeks while watching a movie. This one did that for me.

Ok, the acting is not world-class, but is decent. The story is surprisingly good. A little slow in the beginning, suggest you give it a chance of you enjoy movies with a message.

In the theater my best friend and I made up half the audience. This is a misfortune indeed, because I relished this film. We have two main characters, Wes, a small town sheriff who believes his little community is a sanctuary from the outside world and Meredith, who being raised in Manhattan, finds the far out, little Mormon community kinda creepy. Together they face the unspeakable acts of a cold-blooded killer. This film literally gave me the chills and the filmography was very Hitchcock-like giving the audiences plenty of suspense, without grossing them out, as other films maybe would have gone overboard on. What makes the film even more eerie is that it never shows the girls being followed or stalked before they are killed. They are just found. Another remarkable performance to be noted was that of Matthew A. Brown. His many-layered character was a thrill to watch. I hope him more in the future. Wilford Brimley gave a wonderful perfromance too. This movie is definate four star rating in my book!

It's not often that I cant find something good to say about a film, but this film had no redeemable features whatsoever.

The plot centers around a sheriff who is also the towns Bishop who wants the community to maintain its status quo, but is forced to realise change when a serial killer disrupts the towns equilibrium. You'd think that would be an interesting enough premise to get some good drama out of at the very least, but what we see is not even worthy of being called a made for TV production. The 'acting' is horrendous, even by TV movie standards. None of the characters seem to actually care about the murders at all. When they get a vital piece of evidence, they don't even TRY to do anything about it or interview anyone, they all sit down and pray.

That's right, they pray. I've heard of police being ineffective but this is unparalleled!

The not to subtle pushing of the Morman religion is an uncomfortable sub-text that continues throughout the film. This subliminal attempt at influencing the viewer is inappropriate to the story and I feel, inappropriate full stop.

The ending is the most flat conclusion that I have ever seen, especially for a plot that revolves around a serial killer.

Ironically, the apparent main aim of this film is to make you have faith in God, but by the time the credits roll any belief you have in a higher power will be eradicated completely.

This is arguably the worst film I have EVER had the misfortune of viewing, and I've watched Streetfighter!

I thought it was a great murder story that really involves the audience. It was also a great insight into Utah Mormon culture. It wasn't a propaganda type movie saying that the Mormon way of life is the best, nor was it showing too many of its faults.

The best thing I liked about it was that it was very well written. It involved the audience and really captivated your attention. In addition to the drama and suspense, it also went deeper to examine a few aspects of Mormon culture and humanity in general. That makes it a great movie!!!

My wife and I saw it at an 11:00 showing and we were freaked out when we left the theater. We were wondering if there were serial killers in our little town!!!

Good storyline but the actors left a lot to be desired. Brimley and the deputy were probably the best actors in the film.

Several days after seeing this movie, I'm still thinking about it. That's about the highest compliment I can pay to a film.

As in all great films, the power of _Brigham City_ lies beneath the surface. The whodunit plot is merely a prop for the exploration of issues that affect us all, especially those of us who claim some sort of religious faith. The age-old question of whether innocence and wisdom can coexist is asked, never answered, and in the end eclipsed by a more pertinent question: If redemption is available for those who have lost their innocence, is it also available for those who fail through lack of wisdom?

Last year God's Army , a film by Richard Dutcher and Zion Films , was well received by many in and out of the LDS community and though an independent film it launched the concept of positive LDS related themes as mainstream in the movie industry. This year the list expands with the release of Brigham City on April 6.

Brigham City is a portrait of Latter-day Saint culture and small town community amidst the turmoil of murder. The plot suspenseful unfolds as the town sheriff who happens to be a bishop deals with these events on a professional level as well as a personal one. The numerous subplots contribute to the ambiance and understanding of the LDS lifestyle and faith. Dutcher conveys to the screen a glimpse into a world that though familiar to us may be foreign to many.

Due to its subject matter of murder and even a few disturbing comments I believe that the MPAA has appropriately given this film a PG-13. Brigham City really is not a `family film' and as such will cause some LDS to shun it. Personally, I found that the concepts were handled sensitively with the scenes of violence being implied and not gratuitously show. The lack of foul language and sexual content so prevalent in most Hollywood crime dramas was a refreshing change, quite reminiscent of some of the older Hitchcock films.

Even with the disturbing aspect of Brigham City it has a touching message of the strength of personal faith and its very real application in one's life. Rarely does a film cause me to choke up but this one brought the never used tear. Some of the questions raised by the film are still heavily on my mind.

This is not just entertainment, its contemplative. Another addition to well made, positive LDS related films.

Jennifer Foust LDS Host BellaOnline