Caffeinated Clint
From the outset, “Seraphim Falls” looks like a nice place to take a dip – gorgeous to look out, endless possibilities, fun faces to be around … that’s before you notice the stench of chlorine coming from the core of the spring below.
Pierce Brosnan, Liam Neeson, Anjelica Huston, Michael Wincott, Robert Baker, Ed Lauter, Tom Noonan, Kevin J. O’Connor
From the outset, “Seraphim Falls” looks like a nice place to take a dip – gorgeous to look out, endless possibilities, fun faces to be around … that’s before you notice the stench of chlorine coming from the core of the spring below.
Bruce Beresford’s western revenge thriller kicks off in full steam: Liam Neeson, playing some kind of relentless hunter, is leading a group of men into the hills in search of a scruffy very-desperate-to-get-away Pierce Brosnan. The absconder is then shot in the arm, takes a tumble down a hill, and ends up in the raging waters below.
Via its interwoven flashbacks we’re leisurely informed that Brosnan’s character is actually unintentionally responsible for the death of Neeson’s family – and that’s why the latter wants his head. Ultimately, after ‘just’ staying two steps ahead of him all the way, the former 007 comes face to face with his adversary – but will he have a change of heart?
Like a train that stays beautifully on track for the majority of its journey before crashing into a stalled car into the middle of a crossing five metres from its final destination, the Pierce Brosnan/Liam Neeson starring western starts as a smooth and enjoyable journey and ends, well, bad.
The idea was there – despite the fact it’s little more than a profusion of Michael Mann’s “Heat”; “The Fugitive” and Billy Friedkin’s so-so “The Hunted” – but the script wasn’t. Like jumping into a full bath before you check the temperature of it, it’s a film experience that’s bound to frustrate.
The actors are good enough – was hoping after his risky but welcome turn in “The Matador” that Brosnan might have chosen a bit more wisely from here on out – and the cinematography is rather striking, but once it passes its sluggish middle, “Seraphim Falls” really struggles to hold your attention.
Wait for DVD.
Rating : 
Reviewer : Clint Morris
