A true-crime mystery series starring Andrew Garfield and Daisy Edgar-Jones has just found a new streaming home in the UK. Originally released in 2022, seven-episode drama Under the Banner of Heaven centres on the brutal murders of Brenda Lafferty, a Latter-day Saint woman, and her baby daughter in 1984 Utah.
Garfield’s Mormon detective Jeb Pyre investigates the killing of Brenda (Edgar-Jones) and its connections to the LDS Church, aided by Detective Bill Taba (Gil Birmingham).
Under the Banner of Heaven has just been added to Prime Video for subscribers based in the UK. It’s also available to stream on Disney+ and ITVX.
Based on the book of the same name by Jon Krakauer, the series created by Dustin Lance Black also stars Billy Howle as Brenda’s husband Allen, with Marvel star Wyatt Russell and Avatar’s Sam Worthington playing Allen’s brothers, Dan and Ron.
Featuring in the role of Lafferty brothers Samuel and Jacob are Rory Culkin and Taylor St Pierre, with Denise Gough playing Ron’s wife, Dianna, and Dept Q star Chloe Pirrie portraying Dan’s wife, Matilda.
FX//Disney+
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The stacked cast also includes Christopher Heyerdahl as the Lafferty patriarch Ammon and Megan Leitch as his wife Doreen.
Under the Banner of Heaven is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with a critics’ rating of 87% out of 52 reviews.
FX//Disney+
Critics have hailed Garfield as “the beating heart of the show” (via Empire), with the starry ensemble holding their own and elevating the miniseries to “the best” of the year.
“It’s an elegant and even topical adaptation that dares to ask big questions,” The Guardian noted in their review.
BBC Culture argued that the “captivating” series offers “a less simplistic view” of Mormonism than other TV stories, particularly in the tension between Jeb’s “genuine” faith and the fanaticism of the more “cultish” outliers.
Under the Banner of Heaven is streaming on Prime Video in the UK. It is also available on Disney+ and ITVX.
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