I honestly can't say why this film doesn't rate higher than a 5.6 because it is certainly better than this score indicates. Now, I realize that it doesn't paint a pretty picture of the Mormon movement during this time period. But the fact is that this terrible event actually happened and pretending that the Paiute Indians were the only culprits involved simply doesn't wash. Likewise, the fact is that we may never know what Brigham Young knew--or when he knew it. God knows. And that's what is ultimately most important anyway. Be that as it may, while this film does capture some historical facts the director (Christopher Cain) and the writers also added some fictional scenarios quite liberally as well. For example, there is a love scene thrown in that clearly never happened. But it makes for good viewing and that's what typically matters most to Hollywood. That said, although I certainly don't wish to diminish the horrible crimes committed at Mountain Meadow, I also don't want to tarnish everyone belonging to the Mormon faith either. So for the sake of brevity I will just say that this was a very good movie with good acting which managed to keep my attention throughout the entire story. But this isn't an historical documentary and so it shouldn't be confused for one. In short, this is definitely worth a watch for those who can appreciate a film of this nature. I'll leave it at that.

I must commend the stark reality portrayed in this movie.One has to remember that the Mormon church has always had shifting teachings, values & morals. Their stance, as portrayed for this time period, was that their "prophet" spoke directly from God (just as the Islamists claim that Mohammed spoke directly from their god, Allah). While there have been, and can be, those who prophesy what the Lord has given them, Christians have never created a whole religion around any of them. That is the key difference between Christianity & cults like the Mormons.This movie shows the terrible rift between Mormons & actual Christians & how, when man is involved, such a rift can end in bloody tragedy. The mere fact that the LDS group moved with such deception against the wagon train is proof enough of the waywardness of their stance.It is, indeed, a shame that one person was made the scapegoat of this whole affair, while his own father & the elders of their sect refuse to help him. Again, this is illustrative of the heart of this particular cult.I commend the son who attempted to stop the massacre. Although unsuccessful, his attempt was honest & properly motivated. His disillusionment was his own, personal greatest tragedy.

If memory serves, president Buchanan was using the Mormons as "Wag the Dog" Scapegoats to distract the country from the political tensions that eventually led up to the Civil war. This is why he sent a good fraction of the US army into an invasion of Utah. At the time, the military was about the only US institution representing both North and South.Buchanon's hope was that by demonizing the Mormons ( especially over the practice of polygamy ), he could unite the country.IIRC, Buchanan and Brigham Young were personally-acquainted and on good terms. So the use of military force in a situation that could have easily been solved politically made the Mormon leadership even more paranoid.Again IIRC, an important source of income for the Mormans was resupplying immigrants. Slaughering your customer base is not a good business practice.

September Dawn is a dark tale of frontier fanaticism, paranoia, and rage. I'm not quite sure what message the filmmakers are trying to convey. Is the film anti-religion or anti-Mormon, or is it both?To me (and maybe I'm just reflecting my own views) it seems like an allusion to radical Islam as the date of September the eleventh is prominently highlighted and in one scene a fanatical Mormon invokes the name of Mohammed. Jon Voight's speech to his son about being saved by John Smith parallels that of the recruitment of suicide bombers. The manipulation by church leaders seems very much in keeping with modern events. Then again, Hollywood doesn't seem smart enough to disguise a critique of modern radical Islam as a movie about radical 1850's Mormonism!Jon Voight and Terence Stamp give powerful performances and the actors that play the teenage characters are good as well. One scene I thought was exceptionally chilling was the one that contrasted the hopeful prayers of the grateful settlers with the angry hate- filled (Islamic?) prayer of Voight.Watching the ambush scene, It's easy to see why the LDS are angry with their depiction in the film. Despite being an exceptional drama, I'm not sure about the film's assertions about Brigham Young (I wasn't there) but I think that there should be real evidence (not just suspicion) before a person is possibly slandered.