The Work and the Glory II: American Zion (2005)

45% of critics liked it
(11 reviews)
80% of users liked it
(4,828 ratings)

The true story of how the Church of Latter Day Saints made its way to the American West in search of a home free from persecution informs this historical drama, based on the novel by Gerald N. Lund. In 1833, Benjamin Steed (Sam Hennings) and his wife, Mary Ann (Brenda Strong), were the leaders of a… More The true story of how the Church of Latter Day Saints made its way to the American West in search of a home free from persecution informs this historical drama, based on the novel by Gerald N. Lund. In 1833, Benjamin Steed (Sam Hennings) and his wife, Mary Ann (Brenda Strong), were the leaders of a family of Mormons living in Missouri, but they and their fellow followers of the teachings of Joseph Smith (Jonathan Scarfe) knew little peace, as fierce anti-Mormon factions took violent action against the settlers. When several hundred LDS members were forced from their homes by vigilantes, Smith and his loyal second Brigham Young (Andrew Bowen) set forth to find a new home for their growing flock. Benjamin and Mary Ann join the migration west, but not everyone in their family joins them; their eldest son Joshua (Eric Johnson) has turned his back on the Mormon faith, and has joined forces with the men seeking to put a stop to Smith, Young, and their new church. The Work and the Glory: American Zion was the sequel to the 2004 film The Work and the Glory, also based on a novel by Gerald N. Lund. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 40 min.
Directed By: Sterling Van Wagenen
Genres: Drama, Faith & Spirituality

In Theaters: Oct 13, 2005 Wide
On DVD: May 9, 2006

Critic Reviews

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Unless the filmmakers can heighten the drama (this was filmed and rushed through editing) and ratchet up the emotion, these movies should go straight to video, or a Mormon church near you. They aren't effective outreach, or entertaining drama.
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune
To call this drama heavy-handed would be stating the obvious.
Bruce Bennett, Spectrum (St. George, Utah)
While a minor improvement over its promising but sluggish predecessor, "American Zion" despite its authentic look, feels shallow and hastily edited.
Audrey Rock-Richardson, Tooele Transcript-Bulletin (Utah)
Scales back on the fictional characters and focuses on the more interesting historical figures.
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone, TheMovieChicks.com
The movie looks good, but it has that feeling of a pageant or passion play put on every year during the holidays, just on a bigger scale with more money.
Eric D. Snider, EricDSnider.com
The movie as a whole is agile and accomplished, and the performances are uniformly good, even among one-line characters.
Dan Lybarger, Kansas City Star
An awkward mix of fascinating history and tepid fiction.
Jeff Vice, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
There's been a slight change in character focus, and those who receive the spotlight this time around are more interesting and compelling. But the technical aspects of the filmmaking aren't quite as good.
Sean Means, Salt Lake Tribune
[Director Sterling] Van Wagenen and screenwriter Matt Whitaker... manage to turn musty dates and place names into wrenching moments
Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star
Unlike Holt, Van Wagenen knows what he is doing. Now fans of the series can look forward to the next entry in The Work and the Glory series, instead of dreading it.