Under the Banner of Heaven: Limited Series

Based on: Novel of the same name by Jon Krakauer

Created by: Dustin Lance Black

Starring: Andrew Garfield (Detective Pyre), Sam Worthington (Ron), Daisy Edgar-Jones (Brenda), Denise Gough (Dianna), Wyatt Russell (Dan), Billy Howle (Allen), Adelaide Clemens (Rebecca), Gil Birmingham (Detective Taba)

So I pretty much only watched this for Andrew Garfield. He's one of the few actors whose careers I intentionally follow, another being Emma Watson, and both have rarely let me down. 

This was another good one. It's not one of my favorites, but it was quality and enjoyable, and I really liked the character he played. The series served as an interesting look for me into Mormon lifestyle, though I bet it was portrayed more negatively than most Mormons would prefer. 

The story was also well written and managed to stay entertaining the whole way. I'm not usually a murder mystery type person, but it was cool seeing the tight Mormon family culture, and there were a few characters I came to root for. 

It makes me wonder about the accuracy of the series. The drama focuses around fundamentalists Dan and Ron who led a cult-like group of fellow fundamentalists into radical practices that alienated the rest of the church and sometimes were downright illegal--not to mention murder. 

I don't have a lot to say about it, honestly. It was interesting for what it was; a dramatic glimpse into Mormon lifestyle, through the eyes of a murder investigation. It was also great to see Garfield in another very religious role following Silence, where he played a Christian priest being persecuted in Japan. As a religious person myself, I can't help but wonder how these roles are affected him.