DETAILS
Under the Banner of Heaven
Stars: 3.0
Created by Dustin Lance Black, based on the book by Jon Krakauer
Starring Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Denise Gough, Wyatt Russell, Billy Howle, Chloe Pirrie, Seth Numrich, Adelaide Clemens, Rory Culkin, Sandra Seacat, and Gil Birmingham
Contains scenes of violence, nudity and coarse language
“God is greater than the United States, and when the Government conflicts with heaven, we will be ranged under the banner of heaven against the Government. The United States says we cannot marry more than one wife. God says different.”
- quote from an 1880 address by John Taylor, the third president of the Latter Day Saints Church, defending the practice of plural marriage.
Under the banner of heaven. The phrase by itself could be glossed over upon first reading. Second reading, however – especially put into context of the quote – is decidedly more chilling. Think about it: the church says that its religious beliefs are more powerful than the rule of law. Do what we want because God said so.
The Bible says ‘Thou shalt not kill’ but something happened in 1984 in Utah. Two brothers committed double murder of a woman and her baby all in the name of God simply because they belonged to the fundamentalist version of Mormonism. It’s this true crime that prompted Jon Krakauer to write the excellent non-fiction book called Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith. It’s that book that prompted the television adaptation – filmed in Alberta – now available for viewing on Disney+.
You should read the summary first. One could easily imagine the police’s difficulty of investigating such a case. Now bear in mind how it must have been for a faithful Mormon to be the lead detective. That’s the burden set upon Jeb Pyre, played by Andrew Garfield. The actor trod on such tricky sacred ground before with Martin Scorsese’s Silence. Undoubtedly in my mind, he will be the one Spider-Man actor who eventually wins an Oscar.
True crime stories are all the rage these days. Enough so that Disney+ has already marked a success with the Steve Martin/Martin Short/Selena Gomez-starred Only Murders in the Building, now gearing up for a season 2 start on June 28.
That aside aside, Under the Banner of Heaven is a slow burner of a series, one that is meant to make the viewer face the same questions that Pyre does. What is right, and by what authority is it made that way? It’s a decent enough premise, though I would have much preferred having Krakauer produce a documentary on the subject. Its creator Dustin Lance Black has a lot of credibility and is an excellent writer. Still, getting these fictionalized versions, however close they are to what really happened, seems too much like short shrift. I did enjoy knowing that it was filmed in Alberta though, so there’s that. Keep your eyes open for Bob Beddow, he of the St. Albert Dinner Theatre. He has a bit part as a temple performer.
