The Avenging Angel

Well, it's an experience. I had no idea there could be a pure Mormon western, but here it is. This adaptation of Gary Stewart's adventure novel is seemingly a classic tale of an outlaw in the wild west. But on closer inspection, we can see that it all takes place in the Salt Lake City area at the end of Brigham Young's life. Life within the church and the city is shaped by efforts to build an independent state and its planned annexation to the United States. Yet the lives of the individuals and their moral compass resemble nothing we would know from the classic westerns we have seen in Europe. It's therefore a different viewing experience, but in the end, it's not a bad excursion outside the classic genre clichés. Berenger is an interesting anti-hero, Heston is well chosen for a prophet late in life, while Leslie Hope is just tender enough to survive in a polygamous marriage. (2020.08.07)