However, the film did receive some positive notices. Ken Fox of TV Guide gave the film 2.5/4 stars saying the film "sheds some much-needed light on a 150-year-old crime."September Dawn Review. Movies.tvguide.com (2010-11-22). Retrieved on 2010-11-28. William Arnold of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer praised Jon Voight's portrayal of Bishop Samuelson stating the character had "a soft brutality that is all the more terrifying for its compassionate veneer."Sappy direction mars 'September Dawn'. Seattlepi.com (2007-08-23). Retrieved on November 28, 2011. Ted Fry of The Seattle Times stated, "Religious and thematic issues aside, September Dawn is well-crafted as a revisionist Western with a message. If the message is muddled, there's plenty of literature to clear the facts — or to make the matter even more bewildering for those seeking truth."Mormon massacre story "September Dawn" mixes fact, fiction. The Seattle Times. (August 24, 2007). Retrieved on April 5, 2011.
