Seraphim Falls is something of a peculiarity. The underlying plot is very simple - Carver (Liam Neeson) is hunting down Gideon (Pierce Brosnan) for something Gideon did during the Civil War several years ago. The film attempts to keep suspense by feeding what occurred to the characters in the past in bits and pieces. This works for the most part, but it does tend to get annoying.
The entire story is set amidst a backdrop of the Western frontier, with huge expanses filled with sparsely populated towns a common sight. Western movies have not been a popular genre lately, and this puts Seraphim Falls in a uniquely king-of-the-hill position. The film uses a wide variety of shots such that the audience feels like they're traveling through the new frontier with the main characters. But at its heart, this is a tale of revenge and many elements should be familar to the modern audience.
Both Neeson and Brosnan deliver performances befitting their character. I was very surprised at how well Brosnan fit into the Civil War era (his unshaven beard has a large part to do with this), especially well seeing him brings up images of him in the James Bond films. Neeson, on the other hand, gave the impression of a very stiff character where I would have liked to see more life put into the character.
Overall, this film takes itself very seriously, so audiences intending to watch this should make sure to understand the themes of revenge and the duties of a man in this era. With this mindset at hand, an audience will find that there is a strange beauty in all the senseless killing on screen.
Pros: It's a Western!
Cons: Nothing novel about the storytelling here. Ending's a little on the pseud0-supernatural side.
Conclusion: This is a film for anyone who wants to watch Nature with guns and maybe learn some survival techniques at the same time.
Score: 3.5/5
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