La main de l'ange

I've been looking for this movie on DVD for years. I remember watching it when it was released, and like many of you I do not understand why it hasn't been re-mastered on Blu Ray or DVD , I've e-mailed turner classic movies and have never received a reply on when this movie might be released again. With the all star cast and action packed sequences this movie needs to be released again on DVD ! Good westerns are few and there's not a lot of actors that can make a great western movie now days, the James Coburns, John Wayne's , and all the great actors are gone and there's very few actors that can make a great western still alive

Along my lifetime I'd learned that Salt Lake City in Utah is essentially is the heart of Mormon community, this TV movie exposes the Mormons pioneers moving in that area in Utah due they were steadily persecuted in mid-west in America leading by the president of the church Brigham Young (Charlton Heston), for security reasons they team up a bunch of men called "Destroying Angels' lately changing as The Avenging Angels to protect themselves against the evil invaders made raiding at their lands, actually those Angels were a kind of lowest positions at Mormon society carefully select for this dirtiest job, Miles Utley (Tom Berenger) is one of them, he also a co-producer as well.

Everything changing when someone tried kill Brigham Young inside the own church on a Mormon's meeting concerning political matters, in fact others are get ready to kill the older leader as well, for unknown purposes, so Miles a devoted follower of Brigham whereby used to call him by father starting making a research aiming for find out the truth, due something does not fit properly, slowing he got the whole picture regarding this abrupt assignment to annihilate an upright and legendary Mormon's leadership.

Also it brings to the light that infamous and controversial polygamy fully accepted in the such religious community, it sounds really weird for us lesser mortals in a worldwide religion that just accepts a monogamy on sacred matrimony, as the Mormons used to regarding us as true sinners, such odd behavior on multiple sexual relationship openly consent in this self-called mutual agreement in a society that refuses all Americans dealing them as unholy and decaying society, whereof they avoid us by any means, keeping at their own closed community, this unusual western has many fine actors as James Coburn, Kevin Tighe, Jefrey Jones and the eye-candy Fay Masterson among others.

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First watch: 1996 / How many: 3 / Source: TV-Youtube / Rating: 7.

I have yet to see Tom Berenger in a bad performance and this made for TV film was no exception. I have watched Tom Berenger's career over the past five (5) decades and regardless of whether he is playing an over the hill Major league baseball pitcher, a hard drinking lawyer, a detective and/or in this case he is playing a character named Miles Utley who is a lifetime dedicated Mormon hard fighting rebel soldier/bodyguard who will stop at nothing to protect the people he believes in and/or loves.

There is something very appealing about all the characters that the actor Tom Berenger portrays, and with his characterization of body guard/protector Miles Utley he once again makes a somewhat historical story line of the Mormon church leader/founder Brigham Young (played by Charlton Heston) into an adventure with a heroic twist. In contrast to a more recent (2020) western film titled News of the World starring the much more honored Tom Hanks, there was no comparison. I enjoyed Tom Berenger's performance and the much lower Hollywood budget story line of The Avenging Angel starring Tom Berenger over the dull and predictable (2020) News of the World.

I give this made for TV film a very respectable 7 out of 10 IMDb rating.

I should like this film, but I was more than a little put off by it. I want to be careful here and keep my comments addressed to the film and not its subject, the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints, AKA, the Mormons. The film which takes a VERY sympathetic posture of the Avenging Angels, the well organized and well funded hit squad of the LDS which organized a number of out-right murders of both true believers and "Gentiles (as us non-subscribers to their faith are termed). I was mildly surprised to note that such a murder is treated fairly in the film but that's about all that isn't slanted. The internal struggle of Elders provides us with the good guys/bad guys necessary for a good shoot'em Western and there are some interesting twists, including our old favorite, James Coburn, in a role as the mysterious Porter Rocwell, the organizer of the Avenging Angels. If you are willing to buy the several fictions that exist in the story and the VERY soft pedaling of Mormon polygyny, you will likely find this entertaining. Heston is his old patriarchal self as the "Prophet" Brigham Young and look for Andrew Prine, a promising young actor who never quite made it to the top, in a spot. As a hard-nosed history buff, I had a hard time with several of the religio-political elements of this film but I must confess that I've been so damn hungry lately for a good Western, I'd likely watch it again.

If you are not an over sensitive Mormon, trying to justify your religion, you will enjoy this movie. It's just what a Tom Berenger movie should be, filled with action and interesting characters. The story line is very unique and interesting.