September Dawn

This independently made, fact-based historical movie focuses on the little-known Mountain Meadows Massacre incident in 1857, in which Mormons murdered over 120 pioneer settlers traveling to California as they crossed into Utah territory. Ironically, this incident happened on September 11th of that year, and the filmmakers are not shy about trying to tie in the terrorist activities in New York with the religious fanaticism that sparked the 1857 disaster. The film is bound to create waves of controversy because the script points fingers directly at beloved church founder Brigham Young (Terrence Stamp), and shows him instructing members to hold back the "invaders" by any means possible. But before the killings take place, the film focuses on the settlers as they are allowed to camp out for a couple of weeks so that church officials can spy on them to determine their true intentions. A Romeo and Juliet-style love story develops between the young Mormon son (Trent Ford) and one of the settler's daughters (Tamara Hope) with their budding relationship causing great distress for relatives on both sides of the conflict. Despite awkward direction by Christopher Cain and uneven storytelling, September Dawn is often gripping and fascinating, packing a powerful punch particularly in later scenes as the tension escalates. This obscure tragedy buried in America's past has been turned into a pulse-pounding movie experience reminding us that a terrorist act can happen anywhere, anytime, by anyone.