Mysterious Circumstance: The Death of Meriwether Lewis (2022) User Reviews

I don't blame the cast

[thejdrage · 5/10 · 9 March 2023]

I was anxious to watch this and learn something about American history that I was woefully ignorant of.

And I remain so.

After less than 30 minutes, I couldn't take anymore of Governor Meriwether's outrageous and "WAY over the top" antics. I felt as if I were watching a movie from the 1930s with the massively exaggerated movements in whatever he was doing.

The dog was a delight - as are all animals, but he couldn't save Meriweather's performance.

The cell phone text notices going off randomly were also an unwelcomed bonus. If I were a betting person, I'd bet it was the director's phone.

Again - I DID want to like this film!! I tried! "They" just made it impossible.

The dog got it an extra star.

Really Awful

[dh-23121 · 2/10 · 13 March 2023]

I agree with the "over-the-top" performance by Evan Williams. Reminded me of a high-school play. And the woman said, "It was very cold, even for October". Yet not a single character was wearing a coat? As others have commented, it does nothing to solve this historical mystery. I suppose one positive thing is, it made me research actual events about this man's untimely death. Apparently it is yet unsolved, and his family wanted his body exhumed, 100+ years after the fact. I'm in agreement with those who say suicide is unlikely. I gave up on this film about 20 minutes in. Good luck to you if you hold on longer.

His death is still unsolved

[mclmclmcl · 1/10 · 4 February 2023]

So why create a movie about the death of Lewis of Lewis and Clark, when no one has any idea how he died?

The case is still unsolved and the worst part of the movie is that random, sometimes incredibly stupid stories are made up though two hours of what could have happened......really.....so we get five totally different random stories about what could have happened on the night that he died.

I kept waiting for a conclusion to this stupid movie, but there was not one....just make believe stories....a couple of which were not even believable Why not make up ten stories and make the movie four hours long....two hours wasted....no end.

Everyone or maybe no one did it

[Silicone54 · 1/10 · 2 February 2023]

Meriwether Lewis died at the Grinder's inn also known as Grinder's Stand. His death remained a mystery until this movie reveals the truth. Sorry, I'm kidding and so was the production of this dumb movie.

The first sign of trouble for me was the opening scene at the inn when Mrs. Grinder is standing at the raised porch. The lighting team aimed their reflectors from several feet below so her and her husband's stark shadows were floating above them against the back wall. How could the director not see this problem and fix the lighting? This continued throughout the movie involving the porch scenes. This really bothered me so I had to vent on this.

So the plot is Alexander Wilson, a friend of M. L. visits the inn where his friend died 2 years ago. He interviews the Grinders to report back to the "east" as to what might have happened. He begins with Mrs Grinder and the movie flashes back. Wilson then interviews Mr. Grinder and another retelling of the tragedy. Wilson then offers up his own version even though he wasn't even there, another retelling. Finally, Mr's Grinder recalls yet another version and we get a 4th flashback.

What is the ultimate purpose of this movie if some 200 years after the death of Meriwether Lewis the case is unsolved? No offering of any new evidence just a waste of time telling campfire stories to the audience.

We learned nothing about ML so you don't even get the benefit of a history lesson.

No homework. Pushing out work for the sake of work.

[kcbrianpowell · 2/10 · 24 March 2023]

In film class at college... I've seen better. I'm not sure what the script looks like... But execution is delivered. Living in the early 1800s... Everybody is clean.

I felt like I was watching a reenactment. Accents and some of the characters... Misplaced. Costuming, accurate... But definitely not fitting for sleeping in the woods or living in the time. For where they were at.

Script and dialogue... did not captured my attention. I constantly wondered where things were going. So sorry.

I really wanted to like this movie. Have studied Lewis and Clark as a kid and have copies of their journals but this movie seems to have disconnected from history. Almost like somebody got a script and a cheap budget and put a film together. It just did not fit. It did not seem believable and it was a bit of a labor to watch.

"Rashomon" on a Tennessee trail

[wstephenlee · 9/10 · 24 February 2023]

From reading "Undaunted Courage" by Stephen Ambrose, I was acquainted with the suspicious "suicide" of the famous explorer Meriwether Lewis at a Tennessee "tavern." "Mysterious Circumstances" is an exploration of alternative versions of what might have happened, filmed with considerable attention to authenticity in locale and the era. Many historians have accepted the "suicide" version, but Lewis was traveling on a notoriously dangerous trail, and shooting oneself twice and then cutting oneself "from head to foot with a razor" is a suspicious "suicide," to say the least. The various accounts of the same event are evocative of Akira Kurosawa's approach to storytelling in "Rashomon" (1950), the one flaw being that the versions here are not clearly accounts by different witnesses to the same events but are perhaps rooted in later speculation by those who found the accepted version singularly bizarre. The first version depicted in this movie seems to be close to the version that prevailed, essentially by default. And it is, indeed, played as singularly bizarre. Two previous reviewers (action addicts, no doubt) rated this movie 1 star; 11 other previous reviewers rated it 9 or 10 stars. No way does this average 4.8. My quick calculation makes it about 7.6. This film is worth watching if you have more than a juvenile attention span and are intrigued by mystery.

Fun diversion

[bbbaldie · 9/10 · 12 March 2023]

What did happen with Meriwether Lewis? Here are four different stories, pick one. Did the perennially depressed man kill himself?

With TWO shots??

Or was it something a bit more murderous?

A great way to kill a couple of hours and see some nice Tennessee landscapes.

I'm still wondering about the Native girl, and why she was so frightened at the beginning of the movie.

See? Still thinking about it the next day. The sign of a great flick.

BTW, a treat seeing OU football star Marcus Dupree, and Duke of Hazzard John Schneider.

Enjoy this low-budget treat. It's certainly more bang for the buck than Heaven's Gate.

Accurate representation of a real life mystery

[jmpuckett-32794 · 9/10 · 12 November 2022]

Mysterious Circumstance portrays what it feels like when you and your friends gather together to theorize the truth of mysteries. The diversity seen in everyone's ability to act through completely different scenarios and provide a variety of personalities per character is an accomplishment of masterful talent.

The film eludes to many different possible outcomes without ever stating to know more than is common knowledge. The film is an experience of it's own kind. It's almost an Anthology of possible scenarios. The funnest part is going through each story and spotting the similarities and differentiating between them.

What comes off as a passion project to many will also come to be a lovable classic in the homes of many who love a good mystery and to those who love theorizing.

Something for Everyone!

[mscutturini · 10/10 · 29 October 2022]

The film Mysterious Circumstance has history, drama, and mystery all rolled into one movie. It's a great one to watch! The mystery of Meriwether Lewis' death is not well-known, and this movie gives the possibilities about what happened.

While portraying the mystery behind his death, the movie also entertains with the stories that could have led up to his demise. Each story shows a different set of events that led to the same outcome - the death of Meriwether Lewis. All stories seemed very possible to me.

Audiences will see great acting, beautiful cinematography, and first-rate directing from Clark Richey.

An added bonus is seeing Rex the dog portray Meriwether Lewis' dog Seaman.

I'm glad it is available to rent at home!

Mysterious!

[glorianeeley · 9/10 · 18 October 2022]

My husband and I really enjoyed the movie! We live in Tennessee and were unaware of the fact that Lewis was buried in Hohenwald, Tn. That was a total surprise to us. The different scenarios in the movie regarding the death of Meriwether Lewis were all plausible to us. We felt the most believable was the murder scenario!

The casting was excellent and the costumes were perfect for the time too. The cold season added a touch too along with the roaring fire.

Absolutely loved the animals in the movie! The dog was very well trained and his part made total sense leading the way on the trails and being a protector for Meriwether!

An Unanswered "Who Done It"

[lwilbur-27547 · 10/10 · 29 October 2022]

"Mysterious Circumstance" is a gripping, true life look into the death of Lewis and Clark's Meriwether Lewis.

Evan Williams gave an outstanding performance as Meriwether Lewis, demonstrating his wide range of talent as he portrayed the various scenarios offered by witnesses. All the actors were magnificent and pulled you in to try to figure out what really happened to this American hero. It has really encouraged me to study up more on this event and all that led up to it. We recently visited his burial site. The movie scenery truly reflected the look and feel of this place.

I highly recommend this film and encourage all to see it!

Thought provoking; Don't expect answers

[jrterrierz · 9/10 · 4 June 2023]

The stories of Lewis and Clark are fascinating, but this movie takes us on a journey on the death of Meriwether Lewis which remains unsolved.

The movie is not a happy story, certainly not humorous, as it offers different versions of how Lewis may have actually died. Evan Williams portrays at least three different versions of Lewis -- depressed, mentally exhausted and broken; confident and dignified; and lustful and careless -- as each possibility is explored.

It starts out slow and odd. In fact, I stopped watching it the first time at about 20 minutes but decided to rewatch it after learning more about the questions that continue of this remarkable man's demise.

The movie does not offer an answer, but instead leaves the viewer thinking -- and hopefully wanting to learn more about this explorer's life and death.

*I give Rex the dog a "10" for his performance as Seaman.

Fascinating film

[jlcaterina · 10/10 · 31 October 2022]

Before this film, I actually didn't know that Meriwether Lewis had died under mysterious circumstances. I knew the story of the Lewis and Clark expedition, but nothing else. Clearly I had a lot to learn and the film does an amazing job of telling the history and bringing the characters and the time period to life. Several different possibilities for how Meriwether died are explored and one of the things I found interesting was that Meriwether remains a very relatable character in all the versions. Also, every possibility given seems completely believable.

And finally, the film is really beautiful in terms of cinematography and musical score. I enjoyed it tremendously.

An important historical event I had no idea about

[camerontaddeo · 10/10 · 1 November 2022]

Before seeing Mysterious Circumstance, I had no idea what became of Meriwether Lewis. His name almost forgotten, his mysterious death doesn't come to mind when hearing about the Lewis and Clark expedition. It's nice to see a good American history tale, a fresh take on an event I had no idea occurred, yet it's such an important part of our history. The performances, set pieces, period design, and a really great dog all help make this film the experience that it is. The film is thrilling and keeps you guessing, enjoy! What did happen to poor Meriwether? Watch and maybe you can decide for yourself!

Cool Film. Historical Tale. Superbly Executed.

[aharlowcme · 10/10 · 3 February 2023]

I've watched this film twice. A friend told me to check it out a few months ago. It intrigued me from the prologue-and Amy Le's haunting intro-and the performances are mesmerizing. The simplicity of the film (quiet sets, nothing flashy) allows you to focus on the story. And what a cool story (which is historically based but completely unknown) about a well-known historical figure and his mysterious death. Interwoven with fact and fiction, the film is nothing less than genius. A mystery with twist after twist, an authentic period piece with genuine performances, beautiful shots, and storytelling at its finest.

Well Done.

History wrapped up in a mysterious event.

[judithschor · 9/10 · 19 October 2022]

A period in history that I never knew of. I learned a thing or too despite my advanced age. This is a good enjoyable flick.

"Mysterious Circumstances, The Death of Meriwether Lewis", is the story of the tragic and historic event, the death of legendary explorer Meriwether Clark in Baldwyn Mississippi. The film is full of shady figures during cold and dark times many years ago. A real "who done it" featuring love, action and of course history.

We were glued to our seats throughout the film wondering what's next.

The movie was even a bit spooky!

I loved the dog in this film too. He was amazing in the role he played.

We enjoyed this movie thoroughly!

A very well made movie about a very historic and tragic event of death of Meriwether Lewis.

[ybd-55272 · 10/10 · 18 October 2022]

Hats off to Clark Richey and team who did an amazing job making this movie. I Highly recommend one should watch this movie not only cuz it's well done but also to learn about the history of a tragic event and makes you really think or wonder....... what really happened or did it really happen Actors did a really great job, the scenes and shooting shows very similar of what it would have looked like during that time It was given a lot of attention to detail I should say Also the way it's done the team has given a lot thoughts and ideas, aspects

Not going to say much cuz I don't want to spoil the story for the first time watchers.

Where are Leroy Jethro Gibbs' ancestors when we need them...

[caterinaj-40023 · 9/10 · 1 November 2022]

There is a mystery surrounding the death of Meriwether Lewis-yes, the famous Lewis of Lewis and Clark that we all heard about in history class as kids...but if I was taught anything about Lewis' death, I have certainly long since forgotten. Chances are though, that part of the story was left out, and I now know there are good reasons why...nobody (except maybe a few characters depicted in this interesting and imaginative independent film) knows the facts surrounding his death, officially reported as suicide. Suicide? Seems unlikely based on what we all did learned of this historical character, don't you think? And apparently, we would not be alone in our apprehension to accept this overly tidy explanation of events. In a style that reminded me of the 2021 film "The Last Duel" where the events leading up to the duel are presented again and again from the perspectives of each of the main characters, here the events leading up to Lewis' demise are repeatedly presented in a series of scenarios adeptly exploring all the major possible motivations of the characters involved that might have resulted in the death, beginning with the one which was historically proffered but difficult to swallow. This strategy provides the director, actors, and technicians alike the creative opportunities to express the subtleties of the same situation and characters under a variety of motivations; this is what makes this movie so interesting and what has been so well done by all involved in this project. It leaves us as the audience wondering: ooh, how's it going to go down this time? And it provides us the opportunity to explore for ourselves a breadth of perspectives not just about Lewis' death but also the many possible motives for how the story may have been reported following his death. This is particularly poignant now when the issue of information dissemination in society has strayed so far from factual and leads me to the maybe cynical suggestion that the politically motivated explanation is more likely to be most historically accurate version of the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Meriwether Lewis.

A Fun Historical Mystery . . . With a Dog!

[KimCrenshaw · 10/10 · 9 November 2022]

Tired of politics? A great time to watch Mysterious Circumstance: The Death of Meriwether Lewis! This historical mystery was filmed along Natchez Trace, where Lewis died in the early 1900s. Mindfulness in location and presentation provides a historically accurate portrayal of this two-hundred-year-old mystery. Hints of things to come are foretold throughout; a shot of Robert Grinder holding the knife once owned by Lewis, for example. In the style of the comedic murder mystery "Clue," different scenarios of that night are depicted, which take the viewer from the original claim that Lewis committed suicide through evolving theories based on information that became known through the years. The main characters do a wonderful job of modifying their character's traits to fit the different stories, including the dog! Meriwether's dog Seaman is mentioned often in the journals from the Lewis & Clark Expeditions, and he also plays an active role in the movie as well, traveling through the Natchez Trace with Lewis to tell the shifting tale of that dark night. It is documented that Lewis was so fond of Seaman he once sent a scout team to retrieve the dog when he was stolen by Indians during the Expedition, and that relationship is captured here. Seaman's final scene with Meriwether may just bring a tear to your eyes, but in a good way! Kudos to Scriptwriter/Director Clark Richey for including Lewis' canine companion in a way that leaves no doubt Meriwether loved his dog, which is just one more reason to enjoy this entertaining flick!