Seraphim Falls (2006)

Snoozer

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. April 22, 2008

A Really Great Western/Frontier Movie Let Down By A Slightly Odd Ending

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. April 15, 2008

Good, Very Good, But Not Quite Great

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!!!!!!! February 18, 2008

"On the edge of your seat" Drama.

This is one of the best performances I have ever seen from both Liam and Pierce...they are both excellent actors...This movie was exciting ,the plot kept you guessing as to what was going to happen next !! I throughly enjoyed it..It reminded me of the movie "Jeremiah Johnson" with Robert Redford which was another excelent movie..Ms. Sparkee January 7, 2008

Rebirth of the Western

This is an absolutely outstanding western. I say this as a huge fan of the genre and as one who has seen many dozens of westerns. I would put this in the top 5 of all westerns ever made -- certainly, of any western made in the last 30 years. Pierce Brosnan's performance blew me away. The film is beautifully photographed and the pacing is just right. I applaud director David Von Ancken for not resorting to using a bunch of fast edits or other distracting modern film "technique". He didn't have to, nor should he have, given the genre and the solidity of story and actors. The only weak spot was Liam Neeson's rather difficult-to-place "western" accent. But that is a minor quibble. Seraphim Falls reminds us why the western genre will always belong on the silver screen.
January 3, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...