Seraphim Falls -2007

Directors: David Von Ancken

producer(s) : Bruce Davey, David Flynn

Writer : Abby Evert Jacques

Cinematographer : John Toll

Composer: Harry Gregson-Williams
Runing Time: 115 mins

Rating: R

Genre : western/action/adventure

Cast: Anjelica Huston, Liam Neeson, Michael Wincott, Pierce Brosnan

                   For those who say that the Western genre is dead, I say horse hockey. As evidenced in films like “The Proposition” and tonights feature, “Seraphim Falls” and its a fact, in this two brilliant films that there are still some damn good stories to be told in the good ol' Western genre, hell the only thing that really killed the genre in recent years is the lack of FRESH MATERIAL, Big Budget Hollywood productions would much rather re-make for the sake of  budget than just make something new. “Seraphim Falls” is an ambitious film from the get go,,,,Writer-director David Von Ancken has made a very impressive feature film debut with this brutal and beautifully shot western revenge thriller,  “Seraphim Falls” is a period piece set in 1868 that, much like “The Proposition,” takes a less than polished approach to the story of a group of bounty hunters tracking a man down in the wilderness of the old wild west. Set just after the US civil war, its an old-fashioned film with something of the fierce survival stories of Cormac McCarthy. Pierce Brosnan plays a lone trapper in the woods who is troubled, and Liam Neeson plays Brosnan's cold hearted relentless pursuer, who's leading a posse of hired gun-men, and drawing out the chase through sheer hate for the man in question.

          Folks this is solid Old -West Red-Blooded american adventure and one of the most stunning films to just sit down and watch in recent years. What I liked most about Ancken’s western, is that it doesn’t really rely on too many of the clichés that common westerns do. While this is in its complete essence a pure revenge story, the twists are just surreal with moments that are unlike anything you have ever seen in a western genre film.

   Ancken unfolds ticks in the movies plot that are rather unusual, and it works to bring home the films originality. most of the landscapes are completely barren with hardly any sign of life-what-so-ever for most of the movie, and we are in the dark about what exactly Brosnan has done, but the elemental contest between these two men, in the freezing snow and the burning sun, is completely gripping. And the witty and resourceful, but ruthlessly violent Brosnan gives an incredible performance. The action in this film is all solid folks and the overall look of the film is stunning thanks to Oscar-winning cinematographer John Toll. I really like this movie and highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan-or-not of good ol' western films!

9/10 Stars