Prophet's Prey
The story of Warren Jeffs, his crimes, and his life sentence.
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Directed and written by Amy J. Berg, Prophet's Prey is a 2015 American documentary that focuses on Warren Jeffs, the president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Jeffs currently runs the religion from a Texas state prison, where he is serving a life sentence for raping young girls. The film adapts Sam Brower's 2011 book of the same name; Brower also served as a producer. Ron Howard executive produced under his Imagine Entertainment banner.
Lore/Story/Guide
The documentary argues that Sam Brower and Jon Krakauer played a major role in capturing Warren Jeffs. Both men appear heavily as witnesses in the film, with Brower taking a consulting producer credit and Krakauer an executive producer credit. They serve as contrasting guides through the complex story: Krakauer comes across as a wisecracking, cerebral counterpoint to Brower's burly man-of-action. Berg was approached by Brower and Krakauer with the idea for the film.
Prophet's Prey had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2015. It also screened at AFI Docs on June 18, 2015. The film received a limited release on September 18, 2015, and was broadcast on Showtime on October 10, 2015.
Reception
Critics gave Prophet's Prey positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 93% approval rating based on 27 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.00/10.
The site's critical consensus says the documentary finds Amy Berg striking again at evil masquerading as righteousness, hitting her targets with impressive precision. On Metacritic, the film has a rating of 77 out of 100 based on 15 critics, which indicates generally favorable reviews. The film was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Documentary Screenplay.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who composed the music for Prophet's Prey?
The music for Prophet's Prey was composed by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.
How long is Prophet's Prey?
Prophet's Prey has a running time of 101 minutes.
How much did Prophet's Prey earn at the box office?
Prophet's Prey grossed $39,437.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Prophet's Prey (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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