Seraphim Falls

Seraphim Falls **1/2

Directed by David Von Ancken
Written by David Von Ancken and Abby Everett Jaques

Starring:
Pierce Brosnan as Gideon
Liam Neeson as Carver
Angie Harmon as Rose
Anjelica Huston as Madame Louise
Michael Wincott as Hayes

115 Minutes(Rated R for violence and brief language.)
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It seems that westerns are returning to the big screen, as there is this new found fascination with them. And they aren't just westerns-they are some of the most gory and bloody things I've ever seen. "Open Range" was tame, and so is this one compared to things like "The Proposition" or "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada." Unfortunately, "Seraphim Falls" ends up being somewhat effective, but not exciting enough, and strangely padded at times. An entire middle section is not necessary, and does make the film suffer, but at times when it is a battle of the wills and a revenge battle between two men, "Seraphim Falls" is a massive success.

We begin meeting a man with a beard and a bear skin coat. He is trying to make a fire, but gets shot out by five men, all with horses and true weapons. The man runs through the forest, and finds himself stuck in the water rapids, falling down a waterfall, and on his own once again. This is Gideon, and he is under the watchful eye of Carver and his crew. Carver assembled four other men to help assist in killing Gideon, for reasons unknown to the viewer until towards the end. I will not spoil them here. And for the next few days, in post Civil War era, the two men will outsmart one another, braving through the woods and desert, getting involved with kidnappers, families, and horse thieves, until they finally have their showdown together in the middle of the desert, under the beating sun, where they give up horses and water just so that they will have the weapons they need to finally do one another in.

There isn't much plot here, but there isn't much development in the story. Most of the story involves Gideon walking around the forest, trying to outsmart Carver into finding him. And what he does is smart, and as Gideon is watched by Carver we begin to sort of tell him to do things. At the start, Gideon manages to create a fire for himself, and he tries to warm himself up. Carver eventually manages to find him, and to throw him off Gideon walks around the campsite, as if trying to create many different paths to throw Carver off. Right before Gideon does this, I found myself wanting to tell Gideon to do that. When it comes to the point where I can anxiously wait for a man to create a fire as he freezes, you know there is a some talent behind the camera. The films best scenes are when Brosnan and Neeson are alone, and trying to go after one another. The weak link was the additional plot turns in the middle, which divert attention away from the real story. Gideon gets involved with some wanted robbers, who decide that they need to kill him because he knows too much. He could go into town and turn them in. So Gideon kills them, and takes their horse, which is branded. The horse changes hands, and eventually Carver is running away from some people that want to turn him in and collect the reward money, thinking that he is one of the robbers. It just seems to pad the running time, taking away from any excitement from the chase. I could have lived with the film being twenty five minutes shorter if that end part was just trimmed from it.

I could applaud David Von Ancken for his directorial debut, and he really does do a good job with the western genre. However, given some of the more gritty and exciting westerns in the last two years or so, this one does lack a certain push that made those others so successful. Perhaps those other two were just made with more experience, or perhaps this film is just underdeveloped. In any case, it is a stunning debut, and I can expect more from him in the future. Maybe he could give the western a second try. The look and visuals of this films are breathtaking, taking us from the lightly snowy fields to the dank and dry desert where the climax takes place. I also applaud him for not shying away from some realistic bits. There are moments where we just watch as Gideon tries to survive, spending five minutes building a fire, or taking a bullet out of his shoulder. And Brosnan plays these scenes so well, sometimes making it seem like the camera isn't even on him. Drifting away from James Bond may have been the best thing that he ever did, proven especially by his work in last years "The Matador."

Brosnan and Neeson deliver stellar performances, and I finally have my question of why Brosnan had that beard in every interview I've seen him in for the past year answered. The eventual reason as to why Carver is after Gideon is not really surprising, and if I had thought about it, I might have figured it out before seeing it. But it manages to play with the audiences emotions. For a time you begin to wonder if you were wrong all along-maybe Gideon is the bad guy. But then you see his reaction, his face, and you realize that there is nobody to hate here, and nobody to love. They are both men at fault, and they are both innocents. These two men seal their fate because of the vengeance Carver wants, and the pride that Gideon has. "Seraphim Falls" has a somewhat tragic ending, but at the same time a happy one-an ending of understanding and an ending of kinship. The moral here is that life goes on, and it is far too short to hold grudges. I am reminded of the final scenes of "Greed," the silent masterpiece from the twenties, which also ends in the desert. That film ended with two former friends in the desert without food, water, or horse, all because of their greed and desire for money. This one has similar fashion, but somewhat more hopeful. Well, hopefully more hopeful. "Seraphim Falls" is more than good effort, but the focus gets distorted in the middle, making it hard to enjoy every one of its minutes. It is certainly worth looking for to see the debut of a hopefully great film maker in the near future. I really do enjoy these westerns from time to time, and I hope this isn't the last.