"For they that take the sword,
Shall perish with the sword."
My grandfather was a huge fan of westerns. He was forever reading books by authors like Zane Grey as well as no-name authors; the 20th century versions of dime novels. But his favorite was Louis L'Amour. He had probably forty-odd paperbacks by the man and I, even though I grew up a horror fan - reading mostly King and the like - ended up reading them and came to love them as well. I started watching Western movies and learned to love those, too. Flicks like Shane and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. The Wild Bunch and The Searchers. Recently, Silverado and Unforgiven and Tombstone - I still love the mythic art form of the Western, those quintessentially American tales of the men and women who built a life out of this harsh land and brought either law or anarchy to it. I have just seen a new entry in the long line of such yarns, a film called Seraphim Falls, and I find that when done correctly, these stories move me still.
Seraphim Falls begins in the Ruby Mountains of northeast Nevada in 1868, three years after the end of the Civil War. A solitary figure, Gideon (Pierce Brosnan) is on a mountaintop with his horse, a meal cooking over the fire. Shots ring out, he is hit in the shoulder, and he flees - more specifically, falls - down the mountain. In pursuit is Carver (Liam Neeson) and a small posse, determined to kill Gideon at any cost. That sums it up, really - this is essentially one long chase scene with revenge as the motivation. Why? What did Gideon do that Carver is relentlessly pursuing him, like a frontier Terminator? The picture takes its time answering these questions, but while you will be curious, as you are watching there is really no time for reflection - you're caught up and dragged along, lest you be left behind to choke on the dust.
Seraphim Falls (and co-writer/director David Von Ancken) reminds us that the old West was not a shiny, happy place. It was wet and cold or hot and dirty. Death came quickly and savagely. Men were tough and the land was unforgiving to those who were ill prepared. Gideon and Carver are two men who inhabit this setting completely, and could only have been products of such a place; they are what they are because of it - almost as if the earth created them this way, so that they could survive here.
That these two actors, Brosnan and Neeson, embody these characters so fully, it's somewhat surprising, being Irishmen and all, but then one is forced to remember the depth of their skill. Brosnan is slightly more impressive, although that may be due to his character - Gideon is, from five minutes into the story until the climax, a desperate, hunted man. Literally a wounded animal on the run, in pain, alone and scared, but determined to survive by any means necessary. After seeing The Matador, I thought that was probably the best acting I'd seen yet from Brosnan. I would have to say that this performance is far superior; I've never seen Brosnan like this, never seen him go to these dark places, and he is astounding here. Superb work. Neeson is likewise on the top of his game; Carver the hunter is cold and calculating, remote and unyielding. Apparently driven almost mad by something black and deep and soul-crushing, all he can see is himself killing Gideon, and he will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. He wears his hatred like it's merely another weapon in his arsenal, and it's frightening. Both of these men are, at the drop of a hat or the utterance of a single word, killers; highly competent and cold-blooded, no thought necessary. Regret is for later, if it is to come at all. Thematically, the movie is not unlike the Clint Eastwood classic The Outlaw Josey Wales, but is in no way derivative of it. It's more of a compliment that a modern-day Western can be seriously compared with such a film, and has earned it honestly. On the journey, the pursuit allows the story to introduce a few grade-A character actors, such as Tom (Manhunter) Noonan as the leader of a group of missionaries, Xander (Candyman) Berkeley's railroad foreman lording over Chinese laborers, and Wes (The Last of the Mohicans) Studi in a somewhat odd, but telling scene. Angie Harmon also has a brief yet pivotal part to play as well. As members of Carver's gang of pursuers, veterans Ed Lauter and Michael Wincott have their moments as well. Anjelica Huston even shows up near the end. A fine group of actors have been collected together for this picture and Von Ancken gets nothing less than their best; there is no phoning it in here.
The settings are simply spectacular to look upon. Two-time Oscar winner John Toll shoots the landscape in a manner that will take your breath away - and that's no mere hyperbole, either. From snow-covered mountaintops to towering forests, the fields of the prairie to the sun-baked deserts, his cinematography is among the finest in any Western yet filmed. Ever.
Von Ancken, writing the script with Abby Everett Jaques, makes his feature directing debut after years of TV work on shows like Oz and The Shield; he proves himself to be a natural filmmaker with a superb eye for visuals and a keen story sense. Admittedly, in the final fifteen minutes, the symbolism can get a bit thick to wade through, but it never comes across as gratuitous or pretentious; it's truly of a piece with the story he has chosen to tell, and the outcome he wants to arrive at. After all, the roots of the story very clearly come from the Civil War and the horrors it has unleashed, the wounds it has caused that still haven't healed years later. The war has scarred these men due to the things they've seen as well as the things they've done or been forced to do. Is Seraphim Falls an anti-war story at its heart? Or a parable for the evils men do to one another and that will continue to be perpetuated if not for some sort of forgiveness, for redemption? Perhaps it's just an exciting, suspenseful chase movie. And it is, but I for one found it to be much more than that.
The DVD has the film in its original widescreen 2.40:1 aspect ratio, and it looks great, just as the sound is clear as a bell in the more explosive moments or quiter ones. There's a commentary with Brosnan, Von Ancken, and production designer Michael Hanan that is really well done, what with Brosnan's self-deprecating wit and good humor, Von Ancken's explanations of the deeper themes and his intentions, and Hanan demonstrating how much work goes into doing something that is invaluable to a film yet seemingly invisible if done right. There's a behind the scenes piece (19 minutes) with cast and crew interviews that really illustrates what they wanted to do and how they did it without devolving into one long mutual admiration society. A few trailers round out the special features.
With Seraphim Falls, David Von Ancken and his stellar cast and crew create a superb addition to the Western genre, as well as positioning himself as a talented director to watch. Realistic and gripping, with a genuine emotional undercurrent that will stay with you after the credits roll, this is one hell of a film. . .and I think Louis L'Amour would agree with me on that.
