Brigham City

A small-town sheriff in Utah (Richard Dutcher, who also wrote, produced and directed) finds his faith tested when a serial killer surfaces in his picture-perfect community. Mormon auteur Dutcher, whose God’s Army was a similar one-man show last year, has good film instincts to go with his devout feelings, and he makes an honest effort to express his religious principles in a non-dogmatic fashion. He also draws fine performances from his cast, most of whom are unknowns (veteran Wilford Brimley as the sheriff’s retired predecessor is the one exception). On the downside, the characters Dutcher creates are more interesting than the story he tells, and, as a director, he lets the pacing flag as the climax approaches, just as he should be cranking up the suspense.