Out of Liberty

Right, well I was expecting to see a proper western movie here, but instead I was served a movie about a group of imprisoned mormons and the hardships of the people that want to see them brought to justice.

Yeah, not really exactly what I had imagined this movie to be. And I managed to endure 40 minutes of the ordeal that is "Out of Liberty" before I was Out of Patience, and simply called it quits. And there is no chance of me returning to finish the rest of this movie.

Now, it should be said that the movie does have a good production value to it, and it definitely has the era feel to it, being gritty and somewhat rough. But the movie just failed utterly on its script and storyline. I was far from being entertained by what transpired on the screen, both in terms of what took place and the characters participating in said boring events.

I am sure that there is an audience out there for a movie such as this. I just wasn't in that group. Sure, the movie may be set within the confines of what constitutes a western movie, but this was hardly a western movie in the classic (or generic) meaning of the word "western".

And the whole aspect of religion that simmered beneath the surface of the movie didn't really do an ounce of helping to win me over either.

My rating of "Out of Liberty" is a mere three out of ten stars. This was a massive swing and a miss from director Garrett Batty as in managing to entertain me. I had expected this to be a western movie, not a slow paced and rather mundane prison drama.

It's 1839. In the small town of Liberty, Missouri, Joseph Smith and several of his Saints are in the jail. They've fled Illinois to escape the mobs. Now in Missouri, there are lynch mobs being held off as they await trial for.... well, it's not clear. The judge, and even the governor, we are told, know they're innocent of whatever it is, but fear *cough* *cough* public opinion. Sheriff Jasen Wade is in charge of getting them to the trial, getting them back to jail, and standing guard over them at all times.

It's a talk festival, with cinematographer Jeremy Prusso keeping the camera moving and editor Connor O'Malley keeping the clips short in order to maintain visual interest. The night scenes are the most interesting, men standing in front of a black background, almost stage-like. This being a western, Wade keeps his delivery short and clipped, with sentences to match. More of interest as a retelling of history and law than what you might expect from a western, I enjoyed it but consider that more a matter of personal quirks than of actually interesting film making.

Not all LDS historic movies should be embraced equally. The writers claim their script is based on history, but they severely minimize or outright ignore the most significant events and treasured outcomes of this crucible of growth for the prophet of the restoration. Joseph Smith is poorly cast and is without any significant leadership, spiritual or otherwise. There is a complete absence of spiritual comradery or priesthood dignity amongst those who are supposed to portray the leadership of the church. Where is the signing of hymns? Where is the power of the significant revelations between the Lord and his prophet? Where is Joseph rising in mighty authority to rebuke the guards? Instead, the entire storyline reduces these men to average prisoners who are obsessed to digging or strategizing their escape. In spite of some excellent acting by Corbin Allred as Porter Rockwell, Jason wade as jailer Sam Tillery and Brock Roberts as Sidney Rigdon, this movie misses the mark or is downright misleading about the significance of Liberty Jail in our history.

The film makes history almost unrecognizable by the selective focus on the imprisonment of Joseph Smith and others after the violent conflict with the nearby residents AND the Missouri Militia. In doing so, the viewer is left to hear Mormon apologist speeches, turgidly delivered in stiff tableaus, which sell just fine to the faithful in LDS viewings, but are painfully weak by any objective film standards.

Without due accounting for the anti-democratic actions of Smith that led to his arrest and those who destroyed a newspaper printing office at his direction, they plot pleads the LDS case of their founder solely as martyr rather than the less flattering depiction of many who read the accounts and find his motives less than noble.

If Catholics had attempted to portray some pushback against the Crusades as oppression in a similar film, then critics would be merciless in their derision of such preachy, bad "entertainment," but this movie will get a pass out of both pity and embarrassment from those who either don't know enough history to realize it's a (bad) whitewash, or misguidedly confuse it as part of a larger social justice movement to highlist alleged past wrongs.

Unsurprisingly, the movie is conveniently tightly focused on men as the principals and thereby avoids realistic relationships with women, much less any women modern viewers would find appealing. I have Mormon friends but even they would have to admit this is just plain awful.

IN A NUTSHELL: The movie begins in 1838 right after Joseph Smith and other religious leaders surrender to the Missouri Militia under threat of extermination and end up in Liberty Jail, a very ironic name for a prison with horrible conditions. Joseph and several other leaders in the church were held there for 155 days while members of the church outside the prison walls were terrorized by mobs. The film is based on actual recorded accounts.

Those who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will most likely be unfamiliar with this part of church history and the people involved in the telling of it. It's not the preachy movie you might be expecting but feels more like a Western with surprising heart.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: Kids might be bored quickly. So will some adults. Shooting with guns. Talk of mobs eager to kill people

THEMES: Blinded by hate Justice "The loudest voice is that of public opinion." - Shawn Stevens Obeying the law vs. following your heart Perspective

THINGS I LIKED: Some beautifully artistic details with camera work by Jeremy Prusso and direction by Garrett Batty. I love Jasen Wade in any movie he does. He's always the best actor in any cast. In this film, he plays Samuel Tiller, the jailer, and it is from his point of view the story is uniquely told. You've probably seen him in movies like 17 MIRACLES, SAINTS AND SOLDIERS: AIRBORNE CREED, THE COKEVILLE MIRACLE, although he has been in many more LDS films. I appreciated Corbin Allred's accurate portrayal of Porter Rockwell's high-pitched voice. Most people will recognize him from his roles in the movies THE SARATOV APPROACH and SAINTS and SOLDIERs AIRBORNE CREED. Did you know he was actually in the movie ROBIN HOOD MEN IN TIGHTS ? The scene when the wives visited their husbands in Liberty Jail was very touching and even got me teary-eyed. I recently heard Carrie Wrigley speak and sing at BYU Education Week, so it was fun to see her in this movie, even for just a brief moment. The music is absolutely lovely, scored by Robert Allen Elliott. I always love it when information is shared with the audience at the end of the movie to explain what happened next with the real people portrayed in the film. I only wish more had been offered with this movie. The cast includes Larry Bagby, Adam Johnson, Corbin Allred, Brandon Ray Olive, Shawn Stevens, Brock Roberts, Cyrus Daniels, Eric Wood, Morgan Gunter, Carrie Wrigley, and the fantastic Jasen Wade. Emily Jacobson did a nice job with costume design. Sometimes period pieces can look more like costumes than authentic clothing to set the tone. I noticed that a Kickstarter fund was used to get this movie going. Isn't it amazing what can be done when we all pitch in? If you're a fan of GENTRI: The Gentlemen Trio, you'll love seeing Casey Elliott in the movie as Hyrum Smith. Sidney Rigdon is portrayed as a self-serving coward. In fact, many of these men held captive in Liberty Jail are not represented in the best light, like most LDS films usually do. Instead, the movie captures their lowest moments as they struggle with their faith. That is what makes this movie powerful, different, and insightful.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: Brandon Ray Olive did a fine job as Joseph Smith, although he looks less like the Mormon prophet than I've ever seen in any other movie about him. He is not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint, but I'm told he was very careful to portray Joseph with respect and kindness. You might have seen him before in LOGAN LUCKY, NCIS, CSI, or HBO's MOSAIC. Some movie-goers will hope for lots of action and may be disappointed that it's one of those "talking" movies. Lots of disgusting and humorous talk and display of feces. Some of the acting isn't very good. .