Under the Banner of Heaven

Starring: Andrew Garfield (7 episodes), Sam Worthington (7 episodes), Daisy Edgar-Jones (7 episodes), Denise Gough (7 episodes), Wyatt Russell (7 episodes), Billy Howle (7 episodes), Chloe Pirrie (7 episodes), Seth Numrich (7 episodes), Adelaide Clemens (7 episodes), Rory Culkin (7 episodes), Gil Birmingham (7 episodes), Megan Leitch (7 episodes), Taylor St. Pierre (7 episodes), Christopher Heyerdahl (7 episodes), Rohan Mead (6 episodes), Britt Irvin (6 episodes), Sandra Seacat (5 episodes), Andrew Burnap (5 episodes), Scott Michael Campbell (5 episodes), Tyner Rushing (5 episodes), Michele Wienecke (5 episodes), Sienna King (5 episodes)
Directed by: Courtney Hunt (2 episodes), David Mackenzie (2 episodes), Dustin Lance Black (1 episode), Isabel Sandoval (1 episode), Thomas Schlamme (1 episode)
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Drama, Mystery
2022

Seasons Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An LDS detective's (Andrew Garfield) faith is shaken when he begins investigating a brutal homicide tied to LDS fundamentalists.

Review:
Tim: Although it was disturbing, I was fascinated by Jon Krakauer's excellent book, Under the Banner of Heaven. The revelations it made about LDS fundamentalism were shocking and despicable. So, although I knew it wouldn't be an easy watch, I was genuinely excited to see Dustin Lance Black's series adaptation. The movie takes many liberties with the actual story, but it generally does a good job of portraying Krakauer's themes in a fictionalized format. Although it has a number of flaws, this is a worthwhile series.

The book and the series both center around the brutal murder of an LDS woman and her 15 month-old daughter. This heinous crime seems completely out of place for Utah and the pervasive Mormon influence. The series wisely puts the story behind two detectives- one a devout Mormon, the other not. This was brilliant, as it allows to see how a crime like this impacts people inside and outside the church differently. The main character's shaken faith as he investigates the crime and uncovers unsavory things about his church was incredibly entertaining and thought-provoking. That gives the series the narrative hook it needed and it allows the nonfiction book to be adapted well into a fictionalized story.

I remember reading the book and being riveted by the story and the revelations. The same doesn't happen with the series. There's some intense moments, but over the course of its 7 episodes, it drags and shuffles forward far too much. I was outright bored for long stretches of different episodes. By the end of the series, I was discouraged to see how little ground we'd covered. Yes, we got to know the characters more, but this is absolutely a slow burn series that takes far too long to get where it needs to go. If they cut an entire episode and told this story in 6, it would have likely been much more compelling. As is, the series takes its time and this isn't that engaging. It's a talky show and that is completely fine for the first few episodes. Eventually, though, it wears thin.

I was torn about the many scenes with Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. This is a direct connection to the book- Krakauer doesn't just examine these two murders, but he investigates the Mormon religion as a whole. So, to stay true to the book, these scenes were necessary. They serve a similar purpose here, shining a light on Mormonism and broadening the scope of the story. The problem is that these scenes aren't very entertaining. They show up at odd times that feel disconnected from the main story and create a disjointed feeling. They prevent the story from building the momentum it needed. Some of these scenes were compelling and vital to the story, but many of them felt unnecessary. I thought the actors were okay, but no one really stands out. So, the series asks us to occasionally leave the really good actors and characters we're invested in to watch less talented ones tell a historical story that feels only loosely essential to the story we want to watch. As expected, it doesn't help the series. I recognize we probably needed these, I just wish they were shot better. The modern day scenes feel more confidently executed.

The cast is a big reason why I wanted to see this series. I'm a huge Andrew Garfield fan and not surprisingly, he delivers an especially strong performance. Watching his character try to straddle two different worlds- as determined police detective and loyal LDS member- brought so much drama and intrigue to the series. He gives an emotional, committed performance and it was wonderful to spend 7 episodes with this character. He was definitely a highlight. It bums me out that Gil Birmingham's name is buried beneath a bunch of white people on IMDb and the DVD cover (his name doesn't appear there). Birmingham is absolutely essential to this series and he gives the best performance. He's our surrogate in many ways, representing the rest of the world outside of the LDS faithful. His performance is grounded in reality and he brings desperately needed energy and humor to the series. I loved his work here- he makes every scene he's in better. He makes for an ideal contrast to Garfield's character. Birmingham is so critical to this series and his role so big, he should be listed right behind Garfield. He was excellent here.

I was really impressed with Daisy Edgar-Jones. This is the first time I've ever seen her, but she was fantastic. My only issue is that she only appears in flashbacks. Edgar-Jones perfectly embodies her character and conveys a wide range of emotions believably. She uses her limited screen time to really make you care about her character. It's a star-making performance and it wouldn't surprise me if we're hearing a lot more about her soon. Sam Worthington gave a good performance, but it's not nearly big enough to warrant the marketing position. Worthington is good, he's a talented actor. But a dozen other people could have done what he did with Ron here. I can't picture this series without Garfield and Birmingham, but so many actors could have played Ron. Wyatt Russell was really strong and would have been harder to replace. Russell has impressed me in recent years, especially because he's so fantastic at playing grating characters. There's just something whiny and spoiled enough about him that you love to loathe his characters. Dan isn't a likeable character and Russell fully embraces that. Billy Howle gave a strong performance- he's the "likeable" Lafferty and his performance nails that brilliantly. It was nice to see Rory Culkin here, fully embracing his oddities to play this obsessed, fundamentalist character. The rest of the cast was good, but few other standouts.

In the end, I enjoyed Under the Banner of Heaven. It was a nice reminder of the more brilliant aspects of Krakauer's book and it explores a darker side of Mormonism that is worth highlighting. It features a good cast. Yes, the series is too boring and never builds the requisite level of momentum needed. I'm glad it was a mini-series only, but it was a solid effort.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Series, We Recommend: We Own This City, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, I'll Be Gone in the Dark