A couple of years back, film-maker Richard Dutcher made a fairly sizable splash with his independent movie God's Army, a story about Mormon missionaries. The film wasn't exactly a blockbuster, but it did get released outside of Utah where it went on to make a profit. With his new film, Dutcher has not only given another look into the LDS church, but has fashioned a commercial murder mystery as well.

In Brigham City, Dutcher plays local sheriff Wes. He enjoys his quiet little town and takes great solace in the fact that it's a tranquil community with no crime to speak of. One night while patrolling the outskirts of Brigham City UT, he discovers an abandoned car with California plates. Not far from the car, he finds the body of a young woman. Wes desperately tries to keep the death from the townspeople. After all, this is an out of state resident and a job for the FBI. Besides, there is no way that this death could possibly be related to Brigham, right? Wrong. Before long, Wes has another murder on his hands and realizes that things may be more complicated than they seem.

What's most admirable about Dutcher is his open minded look at the material. True, this picture does preach the word of God, and we are given a rare cinematic glimpse into the LDS religion with sacrament and baptism sequences, but it never feels like church propaganda because Brigham City is full of flawed characters that come across as real people. Dutcher has no interest in showing members of the church as being perfect and this keeps the film grounded in reality.

Early on in the film, Wes sets up a sting operation at the local bar. After all, if their is a killer in Brigham City, he surely must frequent this particular spot. At a glance, this scene really bothered me, but in retrospect it is an important scene because it's establishing Wes' unwillingness to believe that this monster terrorizing his sleepy town could be a local.

The performances in Brigham City are decent. There are moments in the picture when Dutcher is quite effective but then there are times where he doesn't quite seem up to the challenge. Veteran Wilford Brimley gives the film much stability as an aging law man with a hearing aid. There isn't much depth to him, but he has a natural screen presence that really gives the picture juice. What's most effective about Brigham City is Dutcher's directing style. Although the film could have been tightened a bit, it has a creepy aura about it that is quite unsettling. This picture is also surprisingly bleak with a revelation that will surely surprise the audience. Is the revelation realistic? Let's just say that it's satisfying in a traditional murder mystery sort of way.

With Brigham City, Dutcher proves to be a talented film maker. He's found a creative way to mesh his personal beliefs with the art of commercial film making. Unlike God's Army, Brigham City feels more like a film about characters and less like a movie about preaching. As a result, the religious moments in the picture aren't steeped in pretense. Although I thought God's Army was a decent movie, Brigham City is far superior.

On a side note, I've gotten word that Dutcher hopes to do a film on Joseph Smith called The Prophet. I'll keep you posted.