Movie Review # 3611 - American Primeval
American Primeval is an American western miniseries set in 1857 during the Utah War, the series examines the fight to gain control of the American West and the violent clash between the Mormon religion and non Mormon whites living there and the Shoshone Indians, centering on the events surrounding the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
I give this movie 5 out of 5 stars.
I always anticipate new westerns and this one was billed as gritty and violent. That it was but it was also realistic and true to the rough life of the times. I found this movie both entertaining and engrossing, it kept me riveted wondering what would happen next.
Sara Rowell and her son Devin travel from Kansas to Fort Bridger, Wyoming, searching for Devin’s father, Beckworth. They learn Beckworth is in a remote location called Crook Springs, deep in the Wyoming mountains. Despite warnings from fort chief Jim Bridger about harsh winter conditions and regional conflicts, Sara insists on continuing the journey. After their hired guide, Mr. Frye, is accidentally killed at the fort, Sara asks Isaac Reed, a skilled mountain man raised among the Shoshone and familiar with the terrain, to guide them. Reed refuses to join the expedition but later secretly follows Sara and Devin out of concern for their safety. Sara joins a Mormon group led by newlyweds Jacob and Abish Pratt for safety. A bounty hunter from St. Louis reveals Sara’s true identity as Sara Holloway after her departure, a fugitive wanted for murder with a $1,500 bounty. The bounty hunter from St. Louis is killed by Virgil's group, local trappers, seeking the reward. Along the way, the group rests with a caravan of 200 settlers from Arkansas. During this time, Devin befriends Two Moons, a Native American woman who fled abuse and sought refuge with the group. Tensions escalate when a Mormon militia, claims the territory and demands the entire group leave, unaware that some among them are Mormons. When the settlers refuse, the militia, disguised as Native Americans, ambushes them with the aid of Paiute allies. Most of the group is massacred, and women are taken as payment. Mr. Reed, who had been secretly shadowing the group, intervenes and manages to save Sara and Devin. Jacob Pratt is gravely injured, and the Pratt party, along with the Arkansans, meets a tragic end.
Jacob Pratt survives the massacre and discovers that his wife, Abish, is missing. U.S. Army Captain Dellinger, investigating the massacre, approaches Jacob for help, but Jacob instead joins the Mormon militia, believing they can help him find Abish. Meanwhile, Sara, Devin, and Two Moon are pursued by Virgil’s group, while Reed is separately hunted by Paiutes hired by the Mormon militia to eliminate survivors. The two groups eventually converge, capturing both Reed and Sara’s party. However, Two Moon kills one man of the Virgil's group, creating an opening for Sara and Devin to escape. Reed also manages to evade the Paiutes, though he is injured in the process. Abish, held captive by the Paiutes, is spared when Red Feather, a Shoshone warrior, kills her captors and the other captive women. However, Red Feather spares Abish and takes her to his group, where she struggles to adapt to life among the Indians. Reed approaches a group of white American hunters to buy horses, but they turn hostile when they recognize Sara. They try to capture them by force, and in self-defense, Reed kills the hunters but is badly wounded in the fight. Before collapsing, he agrees to Sara’s offer of $1,500 for safe passage to Crook Springs. The group is eventually taken in by the Shoshone, where Reed encounters Captain Dellinger, who is searching for Red Feather. Reed informs Dellinger that the Mormon militia was responsible for the massacre, giving him vital information. As Reed recovers, the group resumes their journey toward Crook Springs. Meanwhile, Jacob continues to follow the Mormon militia, holding onto their promise to help him find Abish.
The Mormon militia, aiming to conceal their involvement in the massacre, sends Jacob and Cook with a group of trappers led by Virgil to find Sara, who is traveling with an unknown woman, hoping it might be Abish, but they do so simply to remove him from the situation. Meanwhile, Brigham Young, the first governor of Utah Territory, attempts to purchase Fort Bridger from Jim Bridger, which serves as a key entry point for settlers in the Mormon-controlled region. Sara encounters a young French-speaking girl, and despite Reed's objections due to his suspicion of her sudden appearance, she decides to help. They are ambushed and captured by French-speaking scavengers, with the girl acting as a bait. Two Moons manages to escape before the capture, and that night, Sara gets raped. Two Moons returns that night, helping Sara to escape. In a fit of rage, Sara kills the scavengers but spares the little girl and her grandmother, as she runs out of bullets. Abish is brought to the main Shoshone clan after unsuccessful escape attempts. Jacob, accompanied by a member of the Mormon militia, notices him looking at a pocket watch from one of his friends, realizing the Mormons are involved in the massacre. Meanwhile, Red Feather’s group kills Captain Dellinger’s scout party, increasing tensions in the area.
After Brigham Young fails to negotiate with Jim Bridger, the Mormons attempt to buy out Bridger’s belongings at an inflated price, which offends Jim and results in Bill, a high-ranking officer under Brigham Young, being injured. Meanwhile, Abish experiences the Shoshone lifestyle and realizes their kindness. She warns Red Feather not to wage war on the white men due to his pride. Red Feather listens to her and agrees, bringing her, along with two captured army soldiers, back to Captain Dellinger. Dellinger uses Abish to identify the Mormon militia members responsible for the massacre. However, Abish soon realizes the Mormons will stop at nothing to silence her as a witness, so she escapes back to the Shoshone, despite Dellinger’s protection. Jacob, in a fit of rage, kills Cook, a Mormon militia member who had accompanied him. Mistrust then causes a group of bounty hunters to leave Jacob behind. Captain Dellinger’s lieutenant Pepper is revealed to be a double agent working for Bill, exposing Dellinger’s plans for reinforcements. Reed and Sara’s party is caught in a snow blizzard deep in the mountains. Sara shows some affection toward Reed, but he rejects, haunted by his painful past. Along the way, Devin’s horse is severely injured. To prevent further suffering, Reed shoots the horse. Devin’s leg is also broken in the process, and the group urgently looks for shelter.
The Mormon militia attacks Captain Dellinger’s camp, massacring everyone, including Pepper,a spy of Mormons militia. Brigham Young offers Jim Bridger a much larger sum than before to buy out his fort, but Jim refuses once again. Brigham then attempts to arrest Jim for allegedly affiliating with Indians under Mormon jurisdiction, but the fort community stands against him and forces Brigham out. Abish, along with Red Feather, arrives to aid Dellinger, fearing a Mormon attack, but they only discover the bodies of U.S. Army soldiers and Captain Dellinger. Meanwhile, in the mountains, Reed and Sara’s group tend to Devin’s injured leg, which has become severely infected. Sara refuses to amputate it. Reed, haunted by memories of his wife and son’s deaths, agrees to help Two Moons cauterize Devin’s leg to stop the infection. The procedure is successful. Local bounty hunters soon find the group, and one of them captures Sara, fleeing with her. Reed ruthlessly kills the remaining bounty hunters. Meanwhile, the Shoshone prepare for war against the Mormon militia.
In the finale, Brigham Young makes one final offer to Jim Bridger, presenting him with two large bags full of money-far exceeding his previous offers. This time, Jim Bridger accepts the deal, agreeing to clear out his community within two days so that Brigham can burn Fort Bridger to the ground. Meanwhile, Jacob, descending into madness, is found by Bill, a high-ranking Mormon officer. Together, they launch a night attack on a Shoshone clan. During the chaotic battle, Jacob unknowingly shoots Abish, who is dressed in Shoshone attire. When Jacob finally recognizes her, he kisses her one last time before she dies in his arms. Overcome with guilt and sorrow, Jacob shoots himself to death. By dawn, the Shoshone are annihilated, including their leader, Red Feather. However, Red Feather managed to kill Wolsey, the leader of the Mormon militia, before succumbing to his wounds. With the Shoshone defeated, Brigham Young orders Fort Bridger to be burned to the ground. As the fort's residents drink themselves into a stupor amidst the blazing inferno, Jim quietly slips away. Meanwhile, Sara is captured by Virgil, the leader of the bounty hunters. Reed tracks them down, kills everyone except Virgil's brother, and rescues Sara. The two reunite with Devin and Two Moon, and the group resumes their journey toward Crook Springs. At the edge of Crook Springs, Reed announces that they no longer need his help and prepares to part ways. Sara, however, confesses her love for him, and they share a kiss. Unbeknownst to them, Virgil's brother has followed the group, seeking revenge. He ambushes Two Moons, Devin, and Sara, but Reed returns just in time to save them. In the ensuing fight, Reed kills Virgil’s brother but is critically injured. He succumbs to his wounds shortly after. The group holds a funeral for Reed, honoring him with Shoshone traditions. Standing on the hills of Crook Springs, Sara looks westward and decides not to stay, choosing instead to continue their journey to California, leaving Crook Springs behind.