Starring Pierce Bronson, Liam Neeson, Michael Wincott, Ed Lauter, Anjelica Huston, Xander Berkeley, Kevin J. O’Connor
Written By: David Von Ancken
Directed By: David Von Ancken
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Buy on Amazon.com link

I’ve been really getting into westerns lately (still have a lot of catching up to do) but I wanted to see Seraphim Falls in the theaters but it wasn’t playing in the local theater. So I finally saw the movie on DVD and it’s an interesting film, just could have been better in the end.

Seraphim Falls is about revenge & survival in the old west (a few years after the civil war). You first see a man in the wintry mountains of Nevada as he gets shot and flees his pursuers. The man is Captain Gideon (Pierce Bronson), an ex-Union captain who’s been trying to run away from something. His pursuer is Carver (Liam Neeson), an ex-confederate colonel who seems to be just as dangerous as Gideon. Along with Carver, there’s 3 other men but that number gets smaller very quickly. Carver & Gideon have crossed paths before, and having Carver go after Gideon isn’t just coincidence; there’s definitely motivation involved. Gideon ruined Carver’s life and now Carver wants to see him dead & suffer just as much as he had.

I liked Seraphim Falls but felt it could have been summed up quicker or in a different way. Considering there was barely any dialogue, it would have been nice to know why Gideon was getting chased to begin with. It’s fun to see how a man can stay alive for that long with barely any strength in him, and how he can manage to get away time and time again from his pursuer. But if I was directing the film, I would have done it a different way. But I guess that’s what the whole twist of the movie was, who should you really be rooting for? Not sure I really liked the ending of the film because it seemed like it had fifty different endings. By the time the movie ended, I justed didn’t feel anything either way. I thought all the scenes in the wintry mountains was great because Pierce Bronson’s acting was so good. It was just really believable, seeing him in pain with the gunshot wound and him taking the bullet out. Maybe they really shot him to show how real the pain was hahaha. But I think once everyone got to the end, in the dry desert, it just wasn’t as interesting anymore. I laughed when Gideon pulled a Han Solo/Tauntaun with his horse and jumped out of it like he was never inside. It was surprising because the horse didn’t move or anything and Gideon just appeared. Other noteworthy things about the movie is the cinematography and the beautiful landscapes. I thought the movie was shot in Canada since a lot of westerns tend to film up there these days but the film was actually shot in Oregon and New Mexico. Well I thought the winter scenes were filmed in Canada.

The extras for the Seraphim Falls include behind the scenes featurette and an audio commentary with Pierce Bronson, writer/director Ancken and the production designer. I watched the behind the scenes featurette and it showed a lot of good stuff in it. Liam Neeson was laughing that they casted two lads from Ireland in an American western movie. There’s lots of interviews with the actors and filmmakers, and they all commented on Pierce Bronson’s physical acting and all the stuff he went through. What I found interesting was there was an archaeologist on the set to protect all the Native American landmarks since they filmed the movie on a National Preserve. They definitely went into a lot of aspects of the movie in that featurette. Worth watching if you like the film.

If you like old school westerns and movies about revenge than you’ll appreciate Seraphim Falls. I thought the movie was made really well and I did enjoy watching it. I just think it could have ended a little bit better & more quickly.

Features:
Behind the Scenes of Seraphim Falls
Commentary with Pierce Brosnan, Writer/Director David Von Ancken, and Production Designer Michael Hanan

Audio:
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 CC

Video:
Widescreen 2.40:1 Color (Anamorphic)

Subtitles:
English, Spanish, French

Favorite Scenes: The first 20 mins was really good.
Rating: R
Running Time: 112 minutes
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating: