Seraphim Falls

i stumbled across this western gem in the local movie rental store. i gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised. this movie has some star power and different approaches then a lot of westerns. i like brosnan's use of his bowie knife. the ending can be a little bit of a challenge to accept but not all that disappointing. all in all i think this movie is unique in such an established genre. i'd recommend this flick to any action/western movie fan.

Previous reviewers have very ably and accurately described the plot and setting here so I won't recap them. What I liked about this film was that both the Liam Niesen and Pierce Brosnan characters are a very human blend of conflicting impulses. One thing that bothered me was the Brosnan character's otherworldly aptitude with the Bowie knife, which is never quite explained. There is a hyper realism to this film though it takes on a sort of allegorical aspect about half way through, somewhat reminiscent of the Coen brothers' work. There is a fey Native American who mysteriously appears at a waterhole and a "snakeoil" saleswoman (played by Angelica Huston) who also appears in the middle of nowhere....Like others have said, in the last 20 minutes things get a bit unfocused. Are the characters contending in some kind of purgatory? Or is it all literal? I was left a little confused. Overall, is this worth the watch? Definitely yes!

This film had good potential in the beginning but went nowhere fast. The story was week and the editing was poor. Pierce Brosnan's acting was exceptional but not enough to carry this trainwreck of a movie.

Both Pierce Brosnan and Liam Neeson have been putting in superb performances in their last few movies, and the first pairing of them in "Seraphim Falls" is proof that both are now genuine class acts - only getting better with age and skill. Brosnan is a revelation in Seraphim Falls (as he was in 'The Matador') just as Neeson was in 'Batman Returns', 'Kingdom Of Heaven', and especially his Oscar-winning turn in 'Kinsey'. In their latter years, each has acquired a grizzly realism that is serving them both well and their choices in movies.

The story is fairly simple - two ex Civil War Sergeants are locked into a Frontier manhunt in 1863 - the manhunt takes them from the snowy mountain ranges, down through freezing rivers and into open pilgrim-filled ranges, through homesteads and finally to a desert area that in many ways resembles both of them - arid, empty, drained and dry. Brosnan is the hunted and Neeson the pursuer, but we only find out as the movie slowly moves on, `why' Neeson is so obsessed with hunting Brosnan's character Gideon - and not just killing him either - but making him bleed and hurt as much as possible. It's essentially a cowboy chase movie, but done with such style and intelligence, that it grips you for the first hour like a Terminator that just won't stop. The support cast are all uniformly excellent too, but it's the two leads that hold it together.

The cinematography is spectacular and the look and dialogue given to both leads, just right. It's let down though as some reviewers have rightly pointed out by an odd last twenty minutes that in many ways spoils the great journey you just made with these two essentially good men locked into the horrible aftermath of war.

Very old fashioned in ways, but hugely enjoyable - I'm reminded of "Jeremiah Johnson" from 1971 with Robert Redford and "Black Robe" from 1991 by director Bruce Beresford ("Tender Mercies" and "Breaker Morant") - two fantastic frontier `story' films that are rarely seen, but worth every second of your time seeking them out.

Having sat through some truly appalling films of late, "Seraphim Falls" was like a breath of fresh air to me - and I wish I'd seen at the movies. Recommended.

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!!!!!!!