Seraphim Falls: An Under The Lens Review

Under the lens takes a deep look at films by focusing on one or two particular areas of the picture that helped to define it for better or for worse.

Seraphim Falls is a 2006 western revenge thriller directed by David Von Ancken and starring Pierce Brosnan and Liam Neeson. The story picks up a few years after the civil war as the brutal Colonel Carver hunts down Union Sergeant Gideon for supposedly murdering his family. The two men then embark on a bloody saga of revenge, redemption, and ultimately salvation.

Under The Lens: Mystical surrealism and Salvation

Mystical surrealism: In the picture’s third act, the narrative takes a sudden turn, up to that point we had been watching an unrelenting revenge tale. Then after Carver and Gideon confront each other for the second time, the narrative shifts into something akin to mystical surrealism.

The action goes to a desert and salt flat, with the two men each meeting a spiritual figure who makes a deal with them that enables them to choose either to leave the path of vengeance or continue on it. The picture is not clear who these figures are or even if the action taking place is real or a visualization of the spiritual journey the two men are going on.

Overall the genre twist in the third act is a welcome change of pace, that elevated the picture from standard revenge into something that leaves you thinking. The desert is a mystical and special place in religious texts, it’s a place where heroes’ true selves are revealed and then cemented.

In much the same way Seraphim Falls takes out characters into the desert to find themselves and face each other and the consequences of their actions. By the time the credits roll each man has indeed transformed into someone new and faced the horrors that brought them both to that place.

Salvation: Seraphim Falls at its heart is a picture about redemption and salvation, about diverging paths and making the right choice, that even when you go to the absolute end of the road salvation can still be found. There are no heroes or villains in the picture, only flawed men, throughout the picture we see the various ways they are offered salvation. The wagon train of Missionaries who preach to them and then take their bullets away, then a wrecked wagon where a Bible is found and then discarded.

Finally, in the form of an Indian man who offers water in exchange for things the men have, the spring represents the last stop for the men to archive salvation, as after this they are met by a satan-like figure who provides weapons and bullets for the men to kill each other.

However, the picture shows us at the end that it’s never too late for salvation and forgiveness, as both men confront each other and then choose to not kill one another. In the end, they were both taken to rock bottom before realizing that the end result was death for them both, the picture then shows both characters laying down their weapons and leaving the life of violence behind.

Highlights

The opening chase sequence is very jarring and incredibly tense

The film has a lot of “That guy” actors who all show up for a few moments and are not seen again

The film has some gorgeous scenery and I can’t help but feel this picture would be wonderful in 4K

Quotable Quote

Water Man: Go as you wish. That which is yours will always return to you. That which you take will always be taken from you.

Something to think about

Have you ever been going down a path you know you should not? And found there are many times you have been offered a different path to go down? What did you do?

Conclusion

Seraphim Falls is a well-shot and very tense action thriller, with gorgeous scenery, good acting, and a killer supporting cast of character actors. Its tonal shift from bloody action to mystical allegory may be somewhat jarring to some, but in the end, it separates the picture from other Westerns. The picture has a powerful message of salvation, revenge, and redemption and I can’t help but feel this message would have been watered down by the exclusion of the more mystical elements of the script.

Seraphim Falls falters somewhat in its first act, with almost no dialogue and an almost endless chase sequence, that begins to wear after the first 10-15 minutes. Once the picture slows down and we begin to meet the various characters Carver and Gideon encounter on the trail, things get interesting. However, even in its weakest moments, Seraphim Falls has some powerhouse performances to carry us through. If you enjoy revenge stories, westerns and a touch of the supernatural Seraphim Falls may be for you!