Seraphim Falls Review
Saturday, 19. December 2009, 00:17:07
My enjoyment of Seraphim Falls on DVD was somewhat impaired by two things: a trailer that couldn’t be skipped where Pierce Brosnan was doing an annoying Northern Irish accent; and a not-fully-widescreen 16:9 feature presentation, so be careful which version you pick up. Baww to Icon Home Entertainment. My views on the actual content follow.
Brosnan and Neeson as the two leads give satisfying performances and are well supported by all the other characters. Apart from one of the supporting cast there is an almost pleasing moral ambiguity to the storyline. The film starts without you knowing who is the good guy and who is the bad guy and never really answers the question either. You’re presented with two seemingly random men in the old West and even when eventually you know why one pursues the other, their roles are still not black or white.
My first negative point shouldn’t be taken too harshly and I haven’t seen it in proper widescreen, but in 16:9 format the film looked like a TV movie at times. Maybe with experience and more resources, the director may well have a strong future in film, though as I write this the IMDB says he has done many TV episodes since Seraphim Falls, but no features.
My main negative point is more relevant. Once the plot is finally revealed, you wonder why Brosnan’s character ran when he found out who was chasing him. Perhaps he wanted to teach Neeson’s character that life needed to go on despite the past, but I felt that the premise of the film was slightly weaker having seen the whole thing. Then again, it’s just a story, subject to the whims of the writer, and the plot does mostly work, and is actually probably stronger than most.
On a related note, a character appears in the desert to both Brosnan and Neeson, seemingly as a mirage. I think it would have been better if the viewer was able to see the reality, but especially if the character was different for each man’s encounter.
My final criticism, though, is about the making of documentary, where the director and at least one of the characters says it is an anti-war film. For the specific case of this film’s plot, the American Civil war was a brutal affair, but it was ostensibly an effort to end slavery and unite the states. Perhaps the world would be a better place with an American Confederacy alongside the Union, but put basically, the plot of this film is not a good basis on which to decide if a war should be waged. Rather it is a reminder that even the good guys might commit war crimes, so the cause had better be worth it.
Overall Seraphim Falls is worth watching. There are good performances, an interesting storyline and some truly fantastic scenery (the film was supported by the state of New Mexico). Certainly it bears comparison with Jeremiah Johnson.
Brosnan and Neeson as the two leads give satisfying performances and are well supported by all the other characters. Apart from one of the supporting cast there is an almost pleasing moral ambiguity to the storyline. The film starts without you knowing who is the good guy and who is the bad guy and never really answers the question either. You’re presented with two seemingly random men in the old West and even when eventually you know why one pursues the other, their roles are still not black or white.
My first negative point shouldn’t be taken too harshly and I haven’t seen it in proper widescreen, but in 16:9 format the film looked like a TV movie at times. Maybe with experience and more resources, the director may well have a strong future in film, though as I write this the IMDB says he has done many TV episodes since Seraphim Falls, but no features.
My main negative point is more relevant. Once the plot is finally revealed, you wonder why Brosnan’s character ran when he found out who was chasing him. Perhaps he wanted to teach Neeson’s character that life needed to go on despite the past, but I felt that the premise of the film was slightly weaker having seen the whole thing. Then again, it’s just a story, subject to the whims of the writer, and the plot does mostly work, and is actually probably stronger than most.
On a related note, a character appears in the desert to both Brosnan and Neeson, seemingly as a mirage. I think it would have been better if the viewer was able to see the reality, but especially if the character was different for each man’s encounter.
My final criticism, though, is about the making of documentary, where the director and at least one of the characters says it is an anti-war film. For the specific case of this film’s plot, the American Civil war was a brutal affair, but it was ostensibly an effort to end slavery and unite the states. Perhaps the world would be a better place with an American Confederacy alongside the Union, but put basically, the plot of this film is not a good basis on which to decide if a war should be waged. Rather it is a reminder that even the good guys might commit war crimes, so the cause had better be worth it.
Overall Seraphim Falls is worth watching. There are good performances, an interesting storyline and some truly fantastic scenery (the film was supported by the state of New Mexico). Certainly it bears comparison with Jeremiah Johnson.
WIDGETIZE