MOVIE REVIEW: 'Seraphim Falls'


From today's Oregonian ...



"Seraphim Falls" starts in the middle of a hunt. Seconds after this allegorical Western begins, Gideon (Pierce Brosnan) has a bullet in his arm and five men on his tail.

Carver (Liam Neeson) leads the posse -- and he’s set on killing Gideon, no matter the cost.

You don't learn why for a good long while. And as the chase moves from snow to desert and mystery to explanation, the story moves from linear to surreal.

"Seraphim" isn't totally satisfying, even if you’re prepared for an art-Western. It’s pokey and odd in a distant, slightly self-conscious way. And when the dialogue isn't terse, it tends toward pronouncements like, "We helped a shot mongrel of a man!"

But Neeson and Brosnan do make terrific primal enemies. The cast is full of actors perfect for the genre (especially gravel-voiced Michael Wincott as Carver’s sidekick). And John Toll's cinematography is overwhelming; the film was shot in New Mexico and Oregon, and the landscapes probably deserve their own IMDb listing.

Oregonian movie reviews (OregonLive.com)

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Posted: Fri - March 2, 2007 at 12:00 AM        

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