Review of Seraphim Falls (2007) by Edith N — 16 Sep 2007

An excellent opening half hour sets this western up to be something a little different from the norm.

We begin with Brosnan in the snowy mountains making camp when he is shot and driven to run for his life through snow and freezing waters while pursued by Neeson and his gang. It's a tense and ambitious opening. The initial chase lasting 20 minutes with barely any dialogue and filmed so well that we can feel the biting cold and Brosnan's agony.

Unfortunately, most of the remainder of the film fails to match the standard of the first half hour. We get some tense moments during the hunt and we are given glimpses of what has happened in the past that drives Neeson to hunt down Brosnan's character, all the while Brosnan excels at portraying his man as a tortured, sympathetic soul with very little words.

What disappoints though is the pacing and a few too many appearances by strangers that cross paths with both men during the pursuit. The film is easily 30 minutes too long and almost all of this is in the middle section and threatens to bring the story to a halt and, Wes Studi's Indian aside, most encounters with other characters fall flat. In fact, a bizarre cameo by Angelica Huston in the final act threatens to ruin the film's climax.

In the end though, we finally learn the reasons for Neeson's hunt and it strangely justifies both men's characters and the final showdown, this time in scorching desert, takes an unexpected yet strangely satisfying turn that almost redeems the misteps taken in the middle hour... almost.

An interesting film with many good qualities but falls short of joining the ranks of classic westerns.