"September Dawn" ** (out of four): Earnest but misguided attempt to generate political allegory from the horrific Mountain Meadows Massacre of 9/11/1857 would have benefited from a more straightforward retelling.

Though it is carefully prefaced with the words "inspired by true events," "September Dawn" - director Christopher Cain’s earnest but misguided attempt to generate political allegory from the horrific Mountain Meadows Massacre - is likely to ruffle a few Mormon feathers. Like the reaction from some members of the Jewish community to "The Passion of the Christ", the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints could certainly make a case for being painted as a bloodthirsty mob led by power hungry men with God-complexes. Naturally it would be hypocritical for any faith to throw stones, so rife is history with religious war, but as with any debate, the truth behind Mountain Meadows likely lies somewhere in between.

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