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Brigham City

EMAILPRINTExcel Entertainment

Brigham City reviews
62
8.5 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 8 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 8 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Suspense/Thriller

Written by: Richard Dutcher

Directed by: Richard Dutcher

Release Date:
Theatrical: April 13, 2001
DVD: April 30, 2002

Running Time: 119 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: PG-13 for violence and thematic material

Starring Richard Dutcher, Wilford Brimley, Matthew A. Brown, Carrie Morgan, Jamie Taylor, Frank Gerrish, and John Enos

What happens when a perfect small Mormon town is rocked with the discovery of a dead body? Brigham City is a thrilling murder mystery which shows that no place on earth is really safe from the world. (Zion Films)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Mr. Showbiz Cody Clark

Moviegoers of any (or no) religious persuasion can share in the simple satisfaction of his tense, well-spun murder mystery.

75

Chicago Tribune John Petrakis

Reminiscent of classic old Westerns.

70

Variety Scott Foundas

The happiest marriage yet of the disparate propagandistic and narrative influences inherent in the subgenre of "religious" cinema.

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70

The New York Times Lawrence Van Gelder

Brigham City, like "God's Army," may proselytize for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but Brigham City is also an example of concise, skillful filmmaking.

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60

TV Guide Ken Fox

A mystery that's filled with genuine sorrow and capped off with a denouement that may take even seasoned mystery buffs by surprise.

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50

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

Few movies have sought this particular blend of detective-story melodrama and religious sensitivity.

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50

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

A good-faith effort, if not completely successful.

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50

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Tries, with much less success, to do what "Witness" did in exploring an Amish town.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 8 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jules B. gave it an 8:
I enjoyed this film and didn't guess who the murderer was. The part I didn't like was when they went to search the homes without a search warrant. They need to read the constitution and then reread it again!

Charlene B. gave it a 10:
Watched it three times. A very moving movie. I felt it was very well acted.

David Z. gave it a 10:
Beautiful. The best indie film of 2001.

M. Peterson gave it a 10:
Much more than a thriller or mystery movie - a thoughtful look at a town's loss of innocence.

Pamela C. gave it a 10:
Brigham city was a really great movie. I have already purchased the dvd.

Todd E. gave it a 10:
This independant film effort by director Richard Dutcher shows a great deal of improvement over his 2000 "God's Army" film. Not that "God's Army" was bad in any way, but having more movie-making experience under his belt and a larger budget really pays off in "Brigham City." He employs a Hitchcock-like style by showing a little bit of stage blood here, some blood-matted hair there - leaving the grisly details to the viewers' imaginations. Overall, an excellent effort by this new, potential-filled director. This movie is NOT connected to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in anyway other than it's portrayal as the backdrop for Dutcher's well told story. It portrays the Church in a very realistic way, neither positive nor negative, and certainly much more accurately than any other film save God's Army. I recommend this movie for adults only as the subject matter and situations are not suitable family-fare. I look forward to seeing more movies in the future from Dutcher. His next project has been announced as "The Prophet - The Story of Joseph Smith Jr." I'm anxious to see if he can successfully pull this off as it has the potential to fail miserably. It may offend Mormons with a not 100% positive portrayal of the Church's first Prophet, and it may scare away non-Mormons with its obvious religious content. But, if anyone can do this successfully, it will be Richard Dutcher.

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