Film Reviews

Seraphim Falls

• Rating:
• Director: David Von Ancken
• Starring: Liam Neeson
• Details: US / 115mins (15A).

Seraphim Falls opens in the snowy mountains where trapper Gideon (Brosnan) is cooking a rabbit over a spit. A shot rings out, clipping Gideon in the arm. Not knowing where the bullets are coming from, Gideon rolls downhill and disappears into the trees. A moment later, the grizzled and angry Carver (Neeson) appears with five hired hands he's paying $1 a day until the trapper is captured. What follows is an endless chase through the mountains, deserts and everything else the Wild West has to offer. Who is Gideon and what has he done to instill such hatred in Carver? Who is Carver and why is he following Gideon with such blind obsession? These questions, along with Von Ancken's pacey direction and Neeson's and Brosnan's restrained performances, keep us spellbound until the final twenty minutes - when everything falls apart. Seraphim Falls is a stripped down western. Light on dialogue and plot, writerdirector Von Ancken winds the story up and lets it go, not worried about answering the whys and the wherefores. However, it turns out that he was worried the whole time as he gives us a long-winded explanation for the relentless chase, told through flashback, and with one fell swoop, the movie loses all mystery and everything that held it together. Seen through cinematographer John Toll's (Legends Of The Fall, The Thin Red Line, Captain Corelli's Mandolin) lens, the visuals rival Jeremiah Johnson and The Searchers for beauty, and although the story might balk on its initial promise, it's still good-looking enough to take home to meet your parents. The old westerns where two guys fight while their hats miraculously stay on might be long gone, but too often contemporary filmmakers ignore the physical pain characters go through, too frequently do heroes fight someone to death, dust themselves down and move on. Not here though, as Von Ancken takes time to show us that removing a bullet from your arm can be excruciating and Brosnan's acting - hands shaking from the freezing cold - in said scene is probably the best he's done. Seraphim Falls is worth checking out - just cover your eyes and ears for that needless flashback.

Review by Gavin Burke