Winter's Cumin' Streaming 24' - Under the Banner of Heaven - Miniseries

Under the Banner of Heaven is a top miniseries living on Disney+. I had it on my watchlist for sometime. Finally in the coldest of winter's getting to take on the seven episode true crime series, based on the 2003 non-fiction book by Jon Krakauer.

Landing on FX on Hulu back in April 2022, Andrew Garfield and Gil Birmingham star as two detectives investigating a brutal murder and its connections to Mormonism. 

The series, while reigniting controversy (rightfully so) in the Mormon faith, received acclaim, particularly for Garfield's and Wyatt Russell's performances.

The faith of police detective Jeb Pyre is shaken when investigating the murder of a Latter-day Saint mother and her baby daughter that seems to involve the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Andrew Garfield returns to form in this role, where he seeks a killer, whilst questioning his own faith.

SPOILERS BELOW if like me you are late to discover this hidden gem on Disney+.

In the climatic conclusion, Blood Atonement, Onias tells Taba that the power of being the "One" corrupted Ron. 

Flashbacks address the Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857 and conflicting accounts of what occurred.

Pyre is asked to twist the law to save the LDS Church from bad publicity, but he refuses. Pyre's loss of faith causes a rift in his marriage. 

Allen tells Pyre that he and Brenda reconciled before her death. Jacob gives Dan's journal to the police, which Pyre uses to identify leads. 

Pyre and Taba go to Wyoming to interview Chip and Ricky, who recall Dan slashed Brenda and Erica's throats while Ron helped. 

Taba confronts Pyre about blindly believing the LDS Church's version of history. 

In Miami, Florida, Dianna's children are taken to a safe house. Dianna returns to the Lafferty home, finds Matilda, and they flee Utah. 

Pyre and Taba locate Ron and Dan in the Circus Circus Casino in Reno, Nevada. The brothers are arrested just as Ron attempts to murder Dan in a bid to become the true "One." Pyre returns home and reconciles with his wife, no longer a believing man but seeing his family as his faith like Allen before him.

So people of faith may have issues with the series, however as someone living in a region where the highest religion is people who identify with no religion, I just thought this was a more serious Book of Mormon.

No seriously, this was fucked up. Using religion to think crime is OK, is not OK. The USA is off my bucket list, Utah however even if I went back to the USA would never get a look in.

Disney+ has excelled with FX on Hulu miniseries titles. Currently airing is the fun, Clipped with Class of '09 (2023), A Murder at the End of the World (2023) & The Veil all concluding over the past months.

I would recommend this well acted, true crime series. It's brutal, frightening, but gripping. Next up Dark Matter on Apple TV+.