Cheap Brigham City (DVD) (Richard Dutcher, Wilford Brimley) (Richard Dutcher) Price

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Customer Reviews of Brigham City

"The fact that Brigham City, new this week from Spartan Home Entertainment, is set deep in the heart of Mormon country and was created by a Mormon filmmaker might turn off some viewers. That would be a big mistake, because "Brigham City" rates with the greatest modern indie noirs (e.g., the Coen Brothers' "Blood Simple," John Dahl's "Red Rock West") shot during the last two decades. It's our Video pick of the week.
Richard Dutcher, writer-director of "Brigham City" (priced for rental VHS, also available on DVD), also takes the lead role of Wes Clayton, chief temporal (as sheriff) and spiritual (as church bishop) protector of idyllic, sheltered Brigham, Utah. But Wes is no shining hero; he's a damaged soul with a tragic history (wife and son killed in a mysterious road mishap that left Wes with a permanent limp and haunted heart) and a major blind spot - a reluctance to acknowledge the "outside" (i.e., non-Mormon) world. As he tersely tells young deputy Terry (Matthew A. Brown) about violent crime, "It doesn't happen. Not here. Here's all I care about." No sooner are those words out of Wes' tight-lipped mouth than the lawmen stumble upon the body of a slain woman in a deserted barn.
The victim is identified as an out-of-state traveler, so Wes is only too happy to turn over the investigation to Salt Lake City FBI agents led by Scully-like Meredith Cole (Tayva Patch). But when pretty, innocent "Miss Brigham 2001" (Jacque Gray) becomes the unknown killer's next bludgeoned victim, Wes is forced to admit that it's indeed an "inside" problem and quite possibly even an inside job.
Like such vintage moral noirs as Nicholas Ray's 1952 "On Dangerous Ground," "Brigham City" is a model of artistic economy wherein every detail serves the story, with nary a wasted word or glance to be found in its swiftly paced 115 minutes. Auteur Dutcher explores his main themes - outsiders vs. insiders, self-destructive denial vs. self-protective guile - while delivering a taut, tense, at times emotionally devastating thriller that will keep you guessing to the end. Anything but a proselytizing Christian film, "Brigham City" is a must for anyone in the mood for a terrific, textured suspenser that will echo long after the end credits roll."

Mormon Noir
"Brigham City" is a startling and original movie, and it marks writer/director/star Richard Dutcher as a talent to watch. It's a film-noirish murder mystery as imagined from the Mormon worldview. Dutcher plays the sheriff of a small Utah town who is also the local LDS bishop. The sheltered little place is confronted by the harsh realities of the outside world when a serial killer comes to town. The film is ultimately about what happens to faith in the face of the starkest human tragedy. It's been compared to "Fargo": comparisons to Peter Weir's "Witness" and the stories of Flannery O' Connor would also be appropriate. Some mechanics of the story are a little shaky, but the power of the performances, atmospheric authenticity, characterizations and themes more than make up for it. 2001 was a good year for film noir, with "Memento", "The Man Who Wasn't There", "In The Bedroom", and this movie. If you are a fan of independent film who looks for something more than the usual Hollywood product, you really should check out "Brigham City."

Should've been titled MORMON City
I stumbled upon this DVD at my local video store, mixed in with all the dramas. Little did I know what I was renting. This DVD spends more time preaching than it does telling a story. As far as I'm concerned, this should've been CLEARLY LABELED as a religious film so unsuspecting agnostics like myself don't waste their hard-earned money on it.

I guess the Mormons have found yet another way to invade my privacy and preach to me. Clever; I'll give them that!

But if they're trying to convert me, this wasn't the way to go about it. It just proved once again how judgemental devout Mormons truly are, and how naive to the real world they tend to be.

As for the movie itself, it was very disappointing; I had a buck-99 coupon on the rental and still feel ripped off. While the plotline is acceptable, the acting is very stilted and none of the characters really come across as believable. To me, the killer was pretty much telegraphed as one of three characters and the ending wasn't much of a surprise because he was one of my three suspects.

I suppose if you're one of the mindless sheep who believe anyone that shares your religious beliefs should be praised no matter how shoddy a job they do, then fine...rate this crapola five stars.

As a movie buff who doesn't give a hoot about religious messages in films, just how good the movie is, this one deserves one star only...and I'm being gracious there.