Seraphim Falls
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Movie Reviews of Seraphim Falls
Movie Review: Good, Very Good, But Not Quite Great
Summary: 4 Stars
Why only four stars? This one is predictable, and as a result, is simply a good watch. The lack of suspense does not allow this one to be considered a great movie. This does not mean its a waste if you happen to watch this movie. Quite the contrary, its an enjoyable movie to watch. Get it and enjoy!!!!!!!Movie Review: Intelligent but accessible
Summary: 4 Stars
Any film with an opening half hour as great as this may inevitably seem like a let down when it draws to a close. Still, this is the best new Western in years. Liam's accent is a little off, but Pierce delivers an outstanding, almost animalistic performance. This should have been a hit.Movie Review: Good Flick
Summary: 4 Stars
Really Good Western Picture.
Whoever put the name on the title should be fired.
I'll wager it doomed the movie.
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Movie Review: Worthwhile old school western
Summary: 3 Stars
Seraphim Falls is a quality western that is a throwback to the many excellent westerns that came out of the 1950s and 1960s. In the Ruby Moutain range in 1867, a man named Gideon sits atop a snow-capped mountain by a small fire. Then, a shot rings out, hitting him in his left arm, followed by another shot that just misses him. Gideon is able to escape with a posse close behind on his trail. A man named Carver leads a group of five gunhands in pursuit of Gideon across snow covered mountains and dry as dust desert and salt flats. It is not until late in the movie we learn why Carver tracks Gideon down so mercilessly in a haunting flashback, maybe the best part of the movie. The plot line is pretty simple, two stripped down men, one chasing the other, doing whatever it costs to stay alive. Because you don't know till near the end why Carver is tracking Gideon, it makes the chase all that much more interesting, we WANT to know what drives the man. It's a pretty straight forward western with a strong cast, beautiful New Mexico cinematography, and enough action to keep fans happy. Not a great western, but with westerns so few and far between these days, enjoy this entertaining revenge/chase movie.
Looking at the cast, it's kind of funny that two Irish actors are the stars in this American western, but both Liam Neeson and Pierce Brosnan are very strong in their parts. Neeson plays Carver, the leader of a small posse who hunts down Brosnan's Gideon no matter what it takes or who tries to stop him. Carver is cold-blooded, but when you discover what drives him, it all comes together. Brosnan is fantastic as Gideon, stealing this movie in my opinion. Most of his scenes are Brosnan by himself which makes his role even better. He can only rely on himself with a posse closing in behind him. Michael Wincott leads the rest of the posse as Hayes, a hired gun just trying to make some money, Ed Lauter as Parsons, a gunhand looking for some easier money, John Robinson as The Kid, a young man trying to prove himself, and Robert Baker as Pope, an ex-Confederate soldier. The rest of the cast is primarily cameos, Angie Harmon makes a brief appearance as Carver's wife, Rose, but the best cameo goes to Angelica Houston, playing Madame Louise Fair, a woman who mysteriously appears in the desert to help both Gideon and Carver. Is she the devil or something else? I think the devil, but it's up to you to decide.
The DVD has some good special features to go along with the widescreen presentation of the movie. This is a case where the movie needs to be seen in widescreen to fully appreciate the New Mexico scenery. The special features include an 18-minute behinds the scenes look at the making of the movie with some excellent interviews with Brosnan, Neeson, and the cast and crew, and also an entertaining commentary with Brosnan, director David Von Ancken and production designer Michael Hanan. It's a worthwhile DVD for a quality western with a good cast. If you're a fan of westerns, or even if you're not, give Seraphim Falls a try!
Movie Review: Two men-one obsessed with the past the other trying to escape it collide in "Seraphim Falls"
Summary: 3 Stars
"Seraphim Falls" works very well as a western because of the contrasting lead characters--Col. Carver (Neeson)obsessed with revenge trapped in the past and his own pain while Captain Gideon (Pierce Brosnan)wants nothing more than to escape his past. He isolates himself in the wilderness working as a trapper in post-Civil War America almost as if it's his penance for an act in the past. Gideon was instrumental in a horrible tragedy that killed Carver's family. Carver hunts Gideon like he's nothing more than a wily animal. Gideon plays the part proving that even though he has isolated himself from people, he hasn't forgotten or lost the small remains of his soul. Gideon rediscovers the value of life--any life even someone else who hates him while Carver discovers that the need for revenge can eat away our reason for living.
"Seraphim Falls" isn't a perfect film but it is one of the better westerns that has been released in some time (although it can't hold a candle to "Open Range"). Because director/writer David Von Ancken focuses on the demons that drive these men, his film is admirable and entertaining. Both actors working with a great supporting cast do a terrific job of creating their characters with a minimal of dialogue particularly during the first third of the film. While the film falls apart by the conclusion and runs about 15 minutes too long, it's still enjoyable ride through the high country.
The DVD features an interesting and trivia packed commentary track by Pierce Brosnan and writer/director Von Ancken aided by roduction designer Michael Hanan. We get the usual trivia about the difficulties in shooting the film but also bits of history as well that make it informative and fun.
The featurette provides a solid look behind-the-scenes. I was surprised that a film this low key (it barefuly got a theatrical release probably because of Mel Gibson's involvement and his drunken rant. Icon Productions co-produced the film and I don't doubt that it made Sony gun shy about promoting this film in a higher profile fashion). The DVD transfer looks nearly perfect.
"Seraphim Falls" recalls some of the character driven westerns that we saw during the 60's and 70's. Writer/director Von Ancken (who wrote it with Abby Everett Jaques)sketches in these characters worn lives and the deeds that made them weary of living very well. Both Brosnan and Neeson do terrific jobs in their roles making the most of their minimal dialogue creating much of their characters out of their physical actions and reactions as what they say. Like "The Proposition" (another fine Aussie western), "Seraphim Falls" shows us the price of war and following orders on the individual from both sides of the fence.
The Proposition