LeonLouisRicci Allegorical Western, its Message Siding with a Greuling Chase among the Earth's rugged Natural Environment from the Top to the Bottom, or as the Film would more than Metaphorically Display, from Heaven to Hell, with the "Fallen Angels".The First Two Acts are Typical of Old Time in the Genre, Featuring Closed Mouth Types Speaking in Short Cynical Sentences. Showing the kind of Men who Could Survive on God's Not So Green Earth. There's the Snow and the Desert, Two Extremities on Terra-Ferma that are Not Inhabitable for the Weak and the Unprepared.Pierce Brosnan and Liam Neeson are the Fallen One's and the Film is Ambiguous about that for quite a While, but in the End there are No Easy Answers, No Saints, just Sinners. As the Film Fades Out it is as Simple as "Vengeance is Mine Sayeth the Lord".Reluctantly Admitting the Gorgeous Cinematography and Fine Acting, some have taken Quite an Offense that the Mystical Intruding is too Heavy Handed, going Against the Classic Western Tradition.The Modern and Postmodern Western has Evolved with the Likes of Mann, Boetticher, Leone, and Peckinpah. If You Prefer John Wayne, John Ford, Howard Hawks and the like, that's Fine. But, the Influences here are the aforementioned.

Scott LeBrun Liam Neeson and Pierce Brosnan play pursuer and the pursued in this intelligent, beautifully filmed, and provocative Western / revenge saga. Neeson is a former Confederate officer, Carver, who bears a grudge against solitary ex-Union captain, Gideon (Brosnan). In the company of four other men, Carver relentlessly tracks Gideon down. And he will do absolutely anything to get his man, revealing a hard edged and ruthless nature.As the story plays out, co-writer & director David Von Ancken departs from any sort of convention by going in a much more surreal direction. Therefore, this may not appeal to Western / action fans looking for a traditional revenge story. As the movie starts, we're not made aware of Carvers' and Gideons' shared past; we just know one wants the other dead, BAD. The characters aren't really fleshed out until the end. Although we can make a pretty good guess as to what happened between the two men, it's devastating once we finally see the flashback.Ones' sympathies may waver a bit while watching this. Counteracting the inherent need to root for a person who has been wronged is the fact that Carver is so cold blooded about his mission. This man will NOT be deterred. It's actually easier at the outset to be on Gideons' side, since we don't know the whole story. And the experiences of Gideon as he struggles to survive man and the environment make for some very compelling cinema.Brosnan gives Gideon some likability, while Neeson is commanding as his determined nemesis. The supporting cast reads like a Who's Who of character actor talent: Michael Wincott, Xander Berkeley, Ed Lauter, Tom Noonan, Kevin J. O'Connor, and Wes Studi. Anjelica Huston appears very late in the film as an enigmatic peddler.Everything is breathtakingly photographed by John Toll, and the pacing is deliberate but effective, steadily taking us through one episode at a time. "Seraphim Falls" engages the viewer every step of the way, including its striking and unusual ending.Eight out of 10.

classicsoncall The ambiguity of the characters is what made the film interesting for me. We don't find out until nearly the end about what really happened at Seraphim Falls, so any attempt at pigeon-holing Gideon (Pierce Brosnan) or Carver (Liam Neeson) as the 'bad guy' just doesn't work, even though both reveal aspects of themselves that verge on being outside the law. We know Gideon is extremely clever at eluding his pursuers, and it takes an iron will and stamina to suffer the physical abuse of the hunt. Carver on the face of it seems like the evil hunter, constantly reminding his posse that he will not fulfill his part of the bargain if they don't stay until the mission is accomplished. The revelation of the Seraphim Falls incident temporarily exonerates Gideon's role in that tragic event, nevertheless he recognizes his responsibility for what happened while in charge of his company. The sense of loss that accompanies both men is given additional resonance as each man is gradually stripped of his material possessions during the story, until both men are left to face their mortality with not a single thing left in the world. One is left with a sense that under other circumstances, these men might have been friends.

SnoopyStyle It's 1868. This starts in the Mountains of the west. Gideon (Pierce Brosnan) barely escapes a posse led by Carver (Liam Neeson). They chase him from the mountains down to the deserts. It doesn't really explain the reason for the manhunt until close to the end.That's the big premise of this movie. It dives right into a chase without telling the audience the why. There is a certain fascination. It's almost as if the reason doesn't matter. In a certain way, it almost doesn't. That's why the reveal is rather a minor disappointment. It could never really satisfy the build up. I think it would be more compelling if they never showed the explanation. The ending does get a bit too surreal especially since the movie never hints at that kind of bent.