Seraphim Falls, a Western about a man seeking revenge against a Civil War adversary long after the war’s over, begins with a bang. Well, it actually starts with a very calm, beautiful, and lonely shot of a man named Gideon (Pierce Brosnan) cooking a small animal over an open fire in the snowy mountains of 1868 New Mexico. He moves slowly and seems comfortable in this natural and scenic setting.
And then comes the bang. Literally. Without warning, a bullet pierces his left arm. He jumps out of harm’s way and falls down a steep snowy slope. Calmly and deliberately, a group of five armed men pursue him through the forest and over a waterfall.
When he’s built somewhat of a lead, Gideon struggles to start a fire with one good arm and hands shaking from the bitter cold. And then, he performs painful self-surgery to remove the bullet. But his chasers—led by Carver (Liam Neeson) aren’t far behind. And so, he keeps running. And the hunters keep chasing.
It’s an energy-charged beginning with real suspense, great pacing, and an aggressive run-or-die tone. And it is unquestionably classic Western. It’s sparse and gritty. There’s little dialogue (and when there is, characters use Western-only phrases like “He done kilt them” and “thanks for that there stew of yorn”). The action occurs on an amazing landscape that reminds the audience of how small the characters are in the grand West. The theme is classic Western territory—revenge and self-administered justice.
And like many old Westerns of the 1950s and ’60s, the plot points come naturally and slowly. We don’t know who Gideon is. Or why he’s being chased. Or even if he’s the good guy or bad guy. Instead, we are seeing only the action. Someone is after him and he must run and kill to survive. The mystery hits its high note when after a day or two of chasing (or about 20 minutes of movie time), Carver sneaks up on Gideon in the dark.
Gideon asks: “Why are you doing this?”
Unseen to Gideon, Carver calmly answers: “Seraphim Falls.”
Western fans will love this start. The film’s camera work and scenery is impressive. And anyone will appreciate what is clearly one of Pierce Brosnan’s best performances. Bearded, reserved and unflinchingly powerful, this isn’t James Bond. This is a character of pain—physical and emotional. And in Brosnan’s face you see it all. This is a terribly realistic film—when a character is injured, he stays injured. He has to deal with that crippling wound for the extent of the movie, not suddenly feel better and run as if nothing’s wrong. When it’s cold out, characters are impaired by the bitter pain of exposed skin chapping. And Brosnan brings this pain and struggle to life. (Note: There’s actually a lot of pain and struggle in this movie. It’s not an easy movie to watch. It’s bloody, graphic and violent. Knives fly. People are impaled. Animals and humans are gutted.)
But ultimately, the wheels come off this covered wagon. Disappointingly, the film’s mystery, theme and narrative all unravel as the chase goes on way too long—with one or two too many “final” confrontations—and a string of plot points and twists that come across as just bizarre, out-of-place and, frankly, goofy. The problem is that instead of sticking with their taut, sparse and driven revenge Western, the screenwriters get too cute and try too hard. For instance, one big twist features Gideon using a very unusual means of hiding from his pursuers. What he does is so strange, so far-fetched and so unsuspected, that it was met by a burst of laughter when I saw the film. Everyone seemed to just go, “WHAT??“
It’s about at this point that Seraphim‘s Western tone suddenly and dramatically shifts into the bizarrely surreal. While it’s The Outlaw Josie Wales and Unforgiven in the first hour, it’s Alice in Wonderland and The Canterbury Tales in the second. Bizarre, random characters pop up and spew cryptic lines that hint that the film is now operating on a whole different meta-physical, metaphorical level than what the audience saw in the first hour. There’s nothing wrong with a film operating on a deeper level, but Seraphim Falls‘ tone shift is so jarring and unsettling, it makes the messages hard to unravel.
And what exactly is the message here?
It certain seems to be saying at least this much: Revenge is bad. Even God says we should leave that business to him (Romans 12:19). And in this film, there is a lot of talk about God—and plenty of biblical allusions and names. But other than the “revenge is bad” them, is the film advocating a certain perspective or message? It’s not entirely clear. It seems like a moralistic tale advocating some biblical principles. Characters talk about God, and a group of Christian missionaries plays a prominent role at one point, but they come off as creepy as they do redeeming. And a theme about whose side God is on when people are at odds is left unresolved and confusing.
There’s also an intriguing traveling saleswoman named Madame Louise (Anjelica Houston), who approaches both characters at separate times to sell them a “cure-all” potion. Neither man is interested in her cure. Instead, both trade for things they need to survive—and for things they need to destroy. It’s very reminiscent of Chaucer’s The Pardoner’s Tale. It’s fascinating and telling. But who is this Madame Louise? An actual saleswoman? A mirage? Is she the Devil who fuels the character’s hatred while the missionaries personify God in trying to end the warring?
It seems as though Seraphim Falls could leave any two viewers with different impressions of what happens at the end of the film—and about what the movie is truly saying. Why does the final confrontation end the way it does? Is it all moral grandstanding? Or ambiguous?
What is clear is that the world of the film is very alone and desperate. Carver at one point says, “There’s no God out here.” The idea is that these characters have gone too far. They are no longer under God’s supervision; they are too far gone. Or are they? Can love and peace still reach them? In the end, the film has a lot to say about the empty chase that is revenge.
Seraphim Falls seems to be saying that revenge leaves you as lifeless as those you are avenging. Do you really have revenge if your life is consumed by vengeance? This is one of the film’s central questions. But it also attempts to go deeper than “revenge is bad” with a look at why revenge consumes. By focusing on two Civil War soldiers still fighting a war, it’s clear that Seraphim Falls is commenting on the human heart. There’s always a war to fight because of the darkness in each of us. We can always find something on which to take out our loss, frustration and anger.
We can always war because of what’s inside us. As Carver says, “Only the dead know the end to war.”
Talk About It
Discussion starters- What did you think of the missionaries? Were they admirable? Did they seem creepy and bizarre to you? Why do you think they were in the movie?
- What did you think of Madame Louise? Why was her character in the film? What did she represent to you?
- What do you think the movie is saying? What messages did you see here about revenge? What messages did you get about God?
- Why does the final confrontation end the way it does? What happens here in the hearts of these two men? How?
- Whose “side” is God on when two men fight? Or when two countries go to war? How does he choose whose prayers to answer with victory and life?
The Family Corner
For parents to considerSeraphim Falls is rated R for violence and brief language. There are less than 10 profanities, but the violence warning is to be taken seriously. This is not a film for the squeamish. It’s very bloody; death comes in assorted and graphic ways. Characters are impaled and hit with knives in the face and throat. Animals and humans are gutted. Bloody scenes of surgery are shown realistically. The camera rarely looks away.
Photos © Copyright Samuel Goldwyn Films
Copyright © 2007 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.
What Other Critics Are Saying
compiled by Jeffrey Overstreet from Film Forum, 02/01/07Now that Pierce Brosnan has gotten James Bond out of his system, he’s getting good notices as the lead in Seraphim Falls, a Western set after the Civil War, in which Brosnan is pursued by Liam Neeson for reasons that only slowly reveal themselves.
Todd Hertz (Christianity Today Movies) writes, “We don’t know who Gideon is. Or why he’s being chased. Or even if he’s the good guy or bad guy. Instead, we are seeing only the action. Someone is after him and he must run and kill to survive. … The film’s camera work and scenery is impressive. And anyone will appreciate what is clearly one of Pierce Brosnan’s best performances.” But he finds the film gets too “bizarrely surreal” in the end, which takes a long time coming.
Jenn Wright (Past the Popcorn) says the movie didn’t work for her because “there’s no real sense of good or evil or any moral foundation. … The pacing of the film is, to be frank, its greatest flaw. A chase fueled by vengeance should include some tension, some apprehension, but this chase evokes an overwhelming sense of tedium.”
Harry Forbes (Catholic News Service) calls the film “a downbeat, post-Civil War chase saga with some artsy surrealistic flourishes thrown in for good measure,” and concludes that, although “the resolution is admirably moral (with strong messages about forgiveness and ending violence), everything feels either strangely familiar or oddly contrived.”
Mainstream critics are mixed, but they seem to indicate it’s the best of the week’s new releases—though that isn’t saying much.
