Review of Seraphim Falls (2007) by Dennis C — 25 Apr 2008

So there is this overused term that goes something like deus ex machina. Its some latin way of saying something so simple that it has to be worded in a dead language to add pretentiousness. Deus is god, machina I suppose is machine, and ex has something to do with grammar, which is not the woman who bakes you cookies and empanadas, but some way of structuring a dead language a certain way which is pointless because people don't speak it anyways. So typically these god machines are these things that come out of nowhere and piss you off but the writer and editor loves them because they are able to push the plot forward. Here comes a long a gritty super realistic movie that has some of the best survival action sequences since First Blood. This movie has so many god machine plot savers, it actually begs the question, is it still random if it happens over 6 times? It starts to feel more like a dante exploration through hell than contrived plot explosions that move the story forward. at least 7 seperate times in the movie a major character gains or loses a horse. Its like their scenario writer walked out on the first day after putting in, "lose or gain bullets, lose or gain horse, use this to explore character and push forward plot." 70% of this movie is finding bullets, losing bullets, stealing horses, killing horses, buying horses, and explaining why horses are more vital than working legs. Liam Nielson's character would have no character development without actively interacting with his and other people's horses. This movie is less an exploration of the loss of humanity through seeking revenge, and more of a guidebook for 1001 and one (so I suppose that would be 1002) ways to shoehorn horses into plot twists and character shocks.

A lot of people don't like the ending, but the movie leads up to it well, and if you were really paying attention to how random the situations Pierce Brosnan were thrown into, then the surreal ending shouldn't seem so left field.

Speaking of Pierce Brosnan, while some may say he has explored the fullest of his acting potentials in this film, no one (or everyone, I don't really know I don't read other people's reviews until I write mine) has mentioned his complete control and master over the growth of all forms of hair. Where it be his pedo moustache from The Matador, or his bathing suit physique in Mrs. Doubtfire, or his well groomed coiffure as 007, nothing compares to the fiery power of the beard he put on for this role. Could it be makeup? Possibly, but look at his stomach and chest during the fire scene (its not gay, its hair research, the manliest and most heterosexual thing a man can do). You will notice there isn't a square inch that isn't covered. If you look at stops at his shoulders, which is a little offputting when you consider how much effort they went into to make him look gritty and dirty. But get a blu ray copy of this movie and really check out the beautiful white explosion in his beard, and you will truly understand why they let him kick liam neeson's ass so bad in this movie.