Seraphim Falls (2007)

"...impressive for its stubborn classicism.  J.R. Jones, Chicago Reader
"...an entertaining Western with some earnest ideas about forgiveness, redemption and the loss of innocents.  Jack Mathews, New York Daily News
"...spectacular scenery, an evocative frontier atmosphere...AND plenty of stylish violence.  William Arnold, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Editor's Note It's three years after the Civil War, and Morsman Carver (Liam Neeson) is leading a small hired posse, including Pope (Robert Baker) and Parsons (Ed Lauter), to track down Gideon (Pierce Brosnan) through the snow-covered woods of the Ruby Mountains in New Mexico. While his posse is in it for the money, Carver appears to have more personal reasons for going after Gideon--and demanding that he be taken alive. But in David Von Ancken's exciting Western, the audience is kept in the dark for most of the movie as to just why Carver is so determined to hunt Gideon down and meet him face-to-face. In fact, the script, written by Von Ancken and Abby Everett Jacques, also keeps viewers guessing about which of them might be the hero and which the villain, blurring the distinction between good and evil. Gorgeously filmed by John Toll, SERAPHIM FALLS is a stunning film to look at, enhanced by Harry Gregson-Williams's beautiful score and the vast expanse of the wide-open locations. Mixing in elements of such classic Westerns as THE SEARCHERS and UNFORGIVEN (among other Clint Eastwood films) with such survival thrillers as FIRST BLOOD and THE NAKED PREY, television director Von Ancken (OZ, NUMB3RS, COLD CASE) makes a compelling feature-film debut. Neeson and Brosnan are both outstanding in their difficult, complex roles, particularly the latter as he takes on numerous physical challenges, and Oscar winner Anjelica Huston pops up in an unusual way, playing a mysterious woman who likes to make very interesting deals.

	Angie Harmon
	Anjelica Huston
	Liam Neeson
	Pierce Brosnan
	Abby Everett Jaques - Writer
	Bruce Davey - Producer
	Conrad Buff, IV - Editor
	David Von Ancken - Director
	David Von Ancken - Writer
	Guy Barnes - Art Director
	Harry Gregson-Williams - Original Music By
	John Toll - Cinematographer
	Michael Z. Hanan - Production Designer
	Stan Wlodkowski - Executive Producer

New York Times
"Its strongest element is the austere majesty of the cinematography..." 01/26/2007 p.E23

Entertainment Weekly
"Brosnan has never looked this spooked. He gets you on his side....[Neeson] gives Carver hints of a psycho drive beneath his righteous scowl. He and Brosnan are supremely well-matched foils..." -- Grade: B- 02/02/2007 p.106

Ultimate DVD
4 stars out of 5 -- "At times on par with the best Clint Eastwood horse operas....The acting and production values are first class throughout." 07/01/2007 p.26

Total Film
3 stars out of 5 -- "[W]ell cast: no one does hollowed-out regret quite like Neeson....[A] sincere, straightforward picture..." 07/01/2007 p.44

Sight and Sound
"Pierce Brosnan, continuing the career shift towards quirky, character roles marked by THE MATADOR, is wily and engaging as Gideon..." 09/01/2007 p.76

Uncut
4 stars out of 5 -- "Von Ancken conjures something of the mythic smack of UNFORGIVEN, aided immeasurably by John Toll's cinematography." 01/01/2008 p.131

Reel.com 7 of 10
An involving but not altogether successful revisionist Western in the harsh, unsparing mold of the films of Clint Eastwood and Sam Peckinpah, Seraphim Falls marks the latest attempt by Pierce Brosnan to escape the long shadow cast by 007. Scraping away all traces of his prior incarnation as the suave secret agent, the "metrosexual icon" goes the other extreme as the filthy and bloodied Gideon, a former Union Army Captain on the run from his Civil War-era nemesis, Carver (Liam Neeson). The two square off with grisly results in this uneven, often compelling but frequently ponderous tale of revenge and redemption in the Old West, directed and co-written by David Von Ancken, a television veteran (The Shield) making his feature filmmaking debut...For all its many virtues, not the least of which are its ambition and its obvious intelligence, Seraphim Falls is an honorable disappointment. - Tim Knight

Variety 8 of 10
"Seraphim Falls" looks like something out of the ordinary solely by virtue of its rarity, but in 1956, it would have been a solid but unexceptional revenge Western...For genre fans, however, a new Western is always welcome, and TV vet Von Ancken, in his theatrical feature debut, makes its way through some of the conventions with relative dexterity...Of the two rugged Irish stars, Brosnan, for all his character's discomfort, seems to be having the better time. His lankiness sometimes reminding of James Coburn, whose turn in "The Magnificent Seven" also comes to mind thanks to Gideon's skill with a knife, Brosnan appears to relish his moments in the saddle as well as the gruff, minimal dialogue...As two of Carver's henchmen, Michael Wincott and Ed Lauter are perfectly cast for menace and treachery but aren't given enough to do make their roles indelible. Harry Gregson-Williams' score is solidly in the classical old-school tradition. - Todd McCarthy