Is "American Primeval" a Must-Watch Western? A Mini-Series Review

The mini-series is set against the backdrop of the 1857 Utah Wars—when the Mormon church (LDS church) clashed with the government over the sovereignty of their claimed lands. The first episode sets the scene for how life is during the Old West: grimy, gritty, and full of quick brutal justice.

Enter Sara and her young son Preston, who has a leg handicap, both of whom mysteriously need to go to Crooks Spring to meet Sara's husband. She has problems finding someone who can help her make this journey. She is introduced to Isaac, a rough mountain man who refuses to help them. After they make an unfortunate trip with a Mormon group who takes them in, Isaac decides to help Sara and Preston.

We are introduced to Jacob and Abish in this Mormon group, who are welcome additions and provide context and balance to the story. They are sincere in belief and conviction. Abish is a brave and modern woman, a tad too modern, but I like her. Preston finds Two Moons, a mute native girl whose backstory is quite sad. But she is a strong survivalist who tags along with Sara and Preston and provides needed help and comfort to them.

Most of the travelers in the Mormon group are killed in the Mountain Meadows Massacre incident. A Mormon militia group, backed by Brigham Young, are responsible, but they try to pin the massacre on Red Feather and his Wolf clan.

Sara, Preston, and Two Moons escape with Isaac’s help and try to outrun a group of bounty hunters who want in on the reward for Sara’s capture—her flight is desperately needed due to her fugitive status. The subplots in this series provide challenges, setbacks, and good storytelling to round out Sara’s goal of making it to Crooks Spring.

Sara is a tough lady but her moral principles — strong sense of doing what’s right — frequently gets them into trouble. She shows vulnerability after her group is kidnapped by French trappers—where she is sexually assaulted. Even though she grows as a character from her ordeal, I still found Sara not as endearing as the Two Moons and Abish characters. Isaac’s character arc is familiar but still resonates with me. He is a man of honor but doesn’t hesitate to do what is necessary to survive—e.g., kills many people who threaten Sara and Preston’s safety and just being plain gruffy and ornery at times.

My rating: Five stars. I highly recommend this movie for people who like historical action films with realistic reenactments of Western era lifestyle. The positives: fast pacing, engrossing story—great writing, well-acted by the entire ensemble cast, fascinating issues of morality, frontier justice, women's rights, and war are touched upon. The negatives: familiar character tropes, especially for native American characters, but doesn't detract from the high-caliber storytelling.

The film contains violence, brutality, adult themes, sexual assault.