In the 1860s, five men have been tracking a sixth across Nevada for more than two weeks. They shoot and wound him, but he gets away. They pursue, led by the dour Carver, who will pay them each $1 a day once he's captured. The hunted is Gideon, resourceful, skilled with a knife. Gideon's flight and Carver's hunt require horses, water, and bullets. The course takes them past lone settlers, a wagon train, a rail crew, settlements, and an Indian philosopher. What is the reason for the hunt; what connects Gideon and Carver? What happened at Seraphim Falls?
Genre(s): Drama, Thriller, War, Western
Runtime: 115 minutes
Rating: 6.9/10 (8,662 votes)
Release Date: 13 September 2006
Country: USA
Languages: English
Company: Icon Productions
Sound: Dolby Digital
MPAA: Rated R for violence and brief language.
Director(s): David Von Ancken
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Producer(s):
Bruce Davey - producer
David Flynn - producer
John Limotte - co-producer
Stan Wlodkowski - executive producer
Writer(s):
David Von Ancken - (written by) &
Abby Everett Jaques - (written by)
Cast:
Liam Neeson - Carver
Pierce Brosnan - Gideon
Michael Wincott - Hayes
Xander Berkeley - Railroad Foreman
Ed Lauter - Parsons
Tom Noonan - Minister Abraham
Kevin J. O'Connor - Henry
John Robinson - Kid
Anjelica Huston - Madame Louise
Angie Harmon - Rose
Music: Harry Gregson-Williams
Bruce Davey - producer
David Flynn - producer
John Limotte - co-producer
Stan Wlodkowski - executive producer
Writer(s):
David Von Ancken - (written by) &
Abby Everett Jaques - (written by)
Cast:
Liam Neeson - Carver
Pierce Brosnan - Gideon
Michael Wincott - Hayes
Xander Berkeley - Railroad Foreman
Ed Lauter - Parsons
Tom Noonan - Minister Abraham
Kevin J. O'Connor - Henry
John Robinson - Kid
Anjelica Huston - Madame Louise
Angie Harmon - Rose
Music: Harry Gregson-Williams
Posted on: October 15, 2008
March 29th, 2008
It's a little strange to look over the cast list for this movie andrealize that so many people are in it, because it's hard to think aboutor remember anything other than these 2 men who end up facing eachother in the desert. This is a very focused movie, it's not trying totake in all the "important" questions about America and the mythologyof the West. It's just about revenge, like some of the best westerns ofthe 50s and 60s.
Carver (Liam Neeson) is on the hunt for Gideon (Pierce Brosnan) with aset of accomplices (including most notably Michael Wincott and EdLauter — men with great western faces that Leone himself would haveadored). We don't find out the reason till fairly far along, and it'spredictable enough to take the movie down a notch. Still I like the waythat the set-up is handled, how we don't really know if Carver is alaw-man or a bounty hunter or what. And I like the central theme of thefilm — the idea of "when does war end?" Carver says that war neverends: "War is just men killing other men." Interestingly in theflashback when Gideon comes to Carver's ranch it's Carver who says "thewar is over!" and the dialog is reversed when Carver tracks Gideon downlater. War is a social institution; these two men are caught up in thereality of war outside of its institutional nature, the "side effects"if you will that hardly seem incidental to those who are affected bythem.
Power is the variable in every equation of war, its solution and itsmethod. When Gideon defeats Carver in combat and proves his superiorityas a warrior, he leaves Carver in the dust and walks away. This wouldnot be a satisfying ending either thematically or dramatically, so themovie and the battle continue but into a surreal desert the likes ofwhich we haven't seen since the days of Leone or much earlier VonStroheim. An "angel" appears to give the men the "cure" to exactly whatthey need. The dream logic prevails; if they are willing to surrenderthe thing that keeps them alive, they can accomplish the function ofthe fighting. Now, my reading of the ending is that Gideon gives Carverthe chance to kill him because he's already given up on life. He didn'twant to kill Carver, because he was never angry at Carver in the firstplace and he felt bad about what happened to Carver's family. So he didit as a gesture of goodwill, and in that sense I think it's verybelievable. But Carver couldn't kill Gideon because it was never thefunction of the fighting to lead up to a sacrifice. The function of thefighting was for power to be gained over the other. The intendedsacrifice resolves the dramatic situation, and it also points up theabsurd nature of their entire vendetta. I think some might find theending unconvincing or unsatisfying but for me it was the only possibleone for these reasons.
Besides having great faces Wilcott and Lauter are fantastic in themovie and the others are decent. It reminds me of James Coburn andJames Best riding with the vengeful Lee Van Cleef in Budd Boetticher'sgreat western "Ride Lonesome." I always do prefer these kinds ofwestern story, where the whole thing is about an essential conflictbetween 2 or 3 people and the film doesn't try to make the peoplerepresent ideas directly. I like my westerns pulpy and small scale.Brosnan should do more westerns, he was great in this movie. Neeson isa fascinating performer, and he really finds the meat of this role andchews the heck out of it. His accent sounds pretty good to me, and hereally embodies a dead-man-walking kind of mentality. I wouldn't havethought of him in this role, but he did it so well and that's whatmakes him great.
Photography and direction are just about perfect, not too showy and nottoo detached emotionally either. I would only rate the film a bithigher if it wasn't so predictable in terms of the story. But I reallyenjoyed the setting and the hard edged style of the film. With solidperformances at its core, this one should age very well.
March 31st, 2008
The FIVE is given for the cast. When you have such people on screen -Brosnan, Neesam and Griffith you expect something to happen. Like storyto be told. If you remember "Dead Man" with Depp and Henricksen andGRIFFITH you may understand what I mean. In "Dead Man" there was a "Onthe way movie". While this one was a disaster. Should Brosnan andNeesam have failed in participation from whatever reason to otherunknown actors movie would be just B class film. I expected "SOMETHING"from this. And I got same as I got from the movie I have seen latelywith Cussack and Freeman about some hit-man caught by Sunday dad makinghis terms with son. So all I can say is that good cast worked very hardto save poor script. Commenting the high notes from several users: sometime ago I also tended to give high marks to something I was unable tounderstand. Now as I am quite mature I decided to turn tables. I amquite an educated and tolerant man. But since I have assen over 1500movies (this is my collection) I also have something called "taste". Ifeel disappointed with this movie. I paid for it and I understand thatgood actors agree to act in low budget movies. All is fine with it – aslong as the screenplay is fine. I really wish the movie was better. R
May 6th, 2008
I'd rate this film higher but it has so many issues against it.
Your dropped right into the action from the start but given noexplanation why, you won't find out the reasons behind why a group ofmen are chasing 1 man until almost near the end of the movie.
The main characters are Gideon (Pierce Brosnan) & Carver (Liam Neeson)with a very small supporting cast. Mainly this is Gideon being chasedfrom 1 location to another meeting not many people and seeminglyfalling foul of all the people he meets.
Also its Gideon gradually killing the members of the posse chasing himuntil it's just him & Carver left chasing each other across a desertwhere you discover Carver was a retired Confederate Colonel who Gideon(a former Union soldier) who Carver had chased to try and find him &his men (although it's not really clearly explained exactly why he'slooking for them or what they are supposed to have done) despite thefact the civil war is over.
Eventually after Gideon orders his men to burn the Carver family barnthe house accidentally catches fire with Carvers baby still inside.Carvers wife (Angie Harmon in a blink & you'll miss it role) runsinside followed by Carvers son to try and rescue the baby & the houseburns down with them all inside it.
This turns out to be Carvers motive (revenge) for pursuing Gideon thisdistance & in this fashion. There is a brief appearance by AnjelicaHuston as both men are on the desert flats towards the end. We aresupposed to assume she is the Devil (there is a hint to the this on hercart) and that both men are already dead when they reach the desert.
The film has a very surreal ending if you can call it an ending & hasno real beginning either. The film is rescued from being awful by somevery strong acting & stunning scenery locations.
Worth a look if you haven't seen it.
July 19th, 2008
Seraphim Falls casts two actor whom you would not associate with thewestern genre as a couple of bitter enemies from the Civil War. I'mconvinced that Liam Neeson and Pierce Brosnan did Seraphim Falls sothey could say they've got a western in their credit lists. You neverknow when you might get offered another one.
It wasn't a bad choice to make for either of them, especially Brosnanwho's light years away from playing James Bond or Remington Steele.Brosnan is a former Union Army officer hunting a noted Confederate inthe person of Liam Neeson back in the day. Now it's Brosnan hunting himand not too squeamish in what it takes to get him.
In fact Neeson and his hired men wound Brosnan right at the beginningof the film, but Brosnan manages to elude them with the fighting andsurvival skills worthy of Rambo. After that it's a question of whomight be hunting who.
Is Neeson really a bad guy because he does some really brutal things.Let's just say he's had some brutality inflicted on him in GeneralSherman's particular brand of war on the south in the person of Brosnanwhen he was in uniform.
Though Angelica Huston as a medicine show lady and Wes Studi as aphilosophical Indian have some interesting roles, Seraphim Falls is afilm that belongs to its well matched leads. Fans of Neeson and Brosnanare required to see Seraphim Falls.
July 26th, 2008
Yet another Cat and Mouse plot line. Seraphim Falls lacks any real plotline. The viewer is left watching a fairly substandard chase throughthe terrains of mid-America. Where an average Pierce Brosnan is pursuedby a very convincing Liam Neeson and his cronies. You watch the filmexpecting the plot to unravel which it fails to achieve throughout. Itlacks any substance or emotion. And winds up with an unbelievable andunimaginative end. Overall this apparent 'western' fails to impress onall levels with poor dialouge, very average performances and an endingthat makes you wish you had spent the last 2 hours re-watching one ofthe classics. In my opinion The good, The Bad, The Ugly is always worthanother watch.