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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
September Dawn
EMAILPRINTBlack Diamond Pictures

Generally unfavorable reviews
Based on 18 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 34 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama | Romance | Western
Written by:
Christopher Cain
Carole Whang Schutter
Directed by: Christopher Cain
Release Date:
Theatrical: August 24, 2007
DVD: January 2, 2008
Running Time: 110 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: R for violence
Starring Jon Voight, Trent Ford, Tamara Hope, Jon Gries, Huntley Ritter, Lolita Davidovich, Dean Cain, and Terence Stamp
On September 11, 1857, in an unspoiled valley of the Utah territory--and in the name of God--120 men, women, and children were savagely murdered. Who ordered the massacre, and why, has been hidden in a cloak of secrecy and conspiracy. And the reputation of one of this nation's mightiest religious figures has been preserved and protected. This film is based on historical events. (Slow Hand Releasing)
Also On Metacritic
FILM: Young Guns
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
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...
TV Guide Ken Fox
Most significant and contrary to the Mormon Church's ongoing position, the film depicts Young as present when the plot is hatched to slaughter the emigrants. Needless to say, this workmanlike but unflinching film won't be playing in Utah anytime soon.
Read Full Review >Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold
The cruel simplicity of the atrocity is made needlessly chaotic by artless camerawork that swishes rapidly back and forth across the action, to the accompaniment of a syrupy soundtrack.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Luke Sader
Cain has crafted a modest picture, filmed in Canada, that too often feels like a very elaborate episode of "Gunsmoke."
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Ty Burr
The movie isn't THAT bad -- it's just made-for-TV historical treacle that has somehow found its way to the big screen (and barely that; if you want to be moved or outraged by the film, you'll have to travel to Danvers or Revere).
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Mark Olsen
A rare case in which one can't help but wish the film were somehow worse than it is, for it would then be easier to dismiss outright. Jon Voight's turn as a fictional local Mormon leader and, in particular, Terence Stamp's performance as Brigham Young have a strange, unnerving conviction about them, and give the film an oddly engaging pull.
Read Full Review >Village Voice J. Hoberman
Shot in a style that might be termed Americana gravitas, September Dawn has the ham-fisted lyricism of political ads and pharmaceutical commercials. The schematic script is further burdened with heavy ironies and hackneyed dialogue.
Read Full Review >Variety Justin Chang
The didactic presentation, grim speechifying and tacked-on love story all signify a less-than-healthy regard for the audience's intelligence.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Jack Mathews
September Dawn, written by an evangelical Christian, may be the worst historical drama ever made.
Read Full Review >Miami Herald Connie Ogle
Filmmaker Christopher Cain has turned a national tragedy into a teen romance, and not in a grand, entertaining, "Titanic" way.
Read Full Review >Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach
A ham-fisted cautionary tale of religious fanaticism that would have been hooted out of even 19th-century theaters as melodrama of the most lurid kind.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader J.R. Jones
The villainous turns by Jon Voight (as a hard-hearted Mormon bishop) and Terence Stamp (as a bloodthirsty Brigham Young) would have been more fun if they weren't part of such a clumsy campaign to lay this tragedy at the church's doorstep.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Steven Hyden
With its complete lack of empathy for early Mormons and simplistic rendering of historical figures, September Dawn is that rare movie that actually deserves whatever condemnation might come from religious groups.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
The audience gets the message (religious fanaticism: bad), but nothing we see is convincing on its own.
Read Full Review >New York Post Kyle Smith
Succeeds completely at failure; the unified incompetence of its writing, directing and acting suggest a man who manages to be on fire and drowning at the same time, just as the bus runs him over.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Matt Zoller Seitz
The maudlin, grotesque western September Dawn, about the massacre on Sept. 11, 1857, of about 120 settlers by Mormons (and their Paiute Indian mercenaries), apes "Schindler’s List" in hopes of creating a Christian Holocaust picture.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
What a strange, confused, unpleasant movie this is. Two theories have clustered around it: (1) It is anti-Mormon propaganda to muddy the waters around the presidential campaign of Mitt Romney, or (2) it is not about Mormons at all, but an allegory about the 9/11/01 terrorists. Take your choice. The problem with allegories is that you can plug them in anywhere. No doubt the film would have great impact in Darfur.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 3.9 (out of 10) based on 34 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
khela' ri gave it a10:
This was a very good movie, where it shows all of us what that amount of hatred can do to a group of people. This is an untold story that needs to be in the history books, the Mormons have tried hard to keep this under wraps and now its out in the open, we should respect those who died on that day, and remember them because their story is no less important that the story of slavery and that of WW1 ad WW2. Kudos, to Christoper Cain, his crew and cast for such an outstanding movie.
brad b gave it a1:
This movie might have been pretty good if it had been written and directed by atheists.
Dr Morris gave it a0:
Slander in its most blatant form. Cain, Voigt and the crew are not historical authorities, and less, objective. This is a hateful, slanted, untamed, and utterly worthless. The romance trivializes the situation, the shoddy history attacks Mormons, the sappy writing makes one gnash their teeth. The worst movie ever. (and why are the reasons that it was given an 8 or 10? Because "Voigt said" or "Mormons won't like it" or "it's not attacking Mormons". Please. How stupid can they be.
ananymous gave it a6:
This movie wasn't poorly made but I believe that the depictions of Mormon beliefs were exaggerated and it sort of gave the idea that Christianity is a better more forgiving religion even though it's not.
G. Roll gave it an8:
The low ratings are only because Mormons are portrayed as fanatics and contrasted against Christians. If you're in neither of the sects, you could think that the movie is about what religious faith can do to people in general, that only with a heavenly mandate a good person could commit such atrocities. That seems to be the moral behind this film, and from that perspective it is perfectly enjoyable and not biased against any particular religious cult.
Robert J. gave it a10:
September Dawn is an outstanding and convincing re-counting of a true historical event. Sure the Mormons don't like it, but hey, Christians are not proud of the Crusades either. I have seen and heard interviews of Jon Voight regarding the truth of the story. He is totally convincing in his belief that the main story element, the massacre of Christians, is true. The professional Critics reveal their anti-Christian bias by their low ratings.
Mindy T. gave it a10:
Mormons will score it low!
