Seraphim Falls
Stars (Out of 10): 7
One Word Summary: Underwhelming
Sometime after the American Civil War, a former colonel named Carver relentlessly pursues a man named Gideon through the freezing woods, telling his team to make sure they keep him alive and scared. Such a summary will have to suffice, as there is little else to be said about the plot of this able but slightly underwhelming return to the Western.
First off, it is notable that the technical aspects are what lead this film. The cinematography is excellent, and the scenery, which includes sites as different as snow-covered forests and completely dry desert pastures, is beautiful. Dialogue is sparse but the sound quality of a rushing waterfall or a surprising gunshot is fantastic.
The main problem that exists within “Seraphim Falls” is the lack of a sympathetic character. Carver seems just as despicable and unlikable as the “villain” of the story, Gideon. Carver’s cohorts are generally throwaway characters the audience, and the story, could care less about giving any type of personality traits other than easily scared. Townspeople that first Gideon, and moments or hours later a vengeful and angry Carver, meet seem dumb, ignorant, and unimportant. And the seeming “guest appearance” of Angelica Huston as a smarmy trader is unexplained, unneeded, and distracting.Liam Neeson, as the supposed hero Carver, is fine enough but the material he is given is very lacking. He has had far better roles and better performances where he had less to work with. Pierce Brosnan, on the other hand, does more than his fair share of panting as Gideon, and his work is mostly concerned with his facial expressions and gestures. Never having been a fan of Mr. Brosnan, I was not overwhelmingly impressed, but he certainly did as much as he could with the role. The movie Is similar to the performances: nice premise with less-than-overwhelming plot development, lacking that necessary element to fully draw you in.
The Bottom Line is that David Von Ancken’s “Seraphim Falls” is certainly a visually excellent film, but its underwhelming performances and the lack of a truly compelling narrative keep it from being a great and fully enjoyable film.
