Seraphim Falls (2006)

At the end of the Civil War, a colonel hunts down a man with whom he has a grudge.

Director:

David Von Ancken

Writers:

David Von Ancken, Abby Everett Jaques

Stars:

Liam Neeson, Pierce Brosnan, Michael Wincott

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Liam Neeson	...	Carver
Pierce Brosnan	...	Gideon
Michael Wincott	...	Hayes
Xander Berkeley	...	Railroad Foreman
Ed Lauter	...	Parsons
Tom Noonan	...	Minister Abraham
Kevin J. O'Connor	...	Henry
John Robinson	...	Kid
Anjelica Huston	...	Madame Louise
Angie Harmon	...	Rose
Robert Baker	...	Pope
Wes Studi	...	Charon (as Wes Studie)
Jimmi Simpson	...	Big Brother
James Jordan	...	Little Brother
Nate Mooney	...	Cousin Bill

Storyline

In the 1860s, five men have been tracking a sixth across Nevada for more than two weeks. They shoot and wound him, but he gets away. They pursue, led by the dour Carver, who will pay them each $1 a day once he's captured. The hunted is Gideon, resourceful, skilled with a knife. Gideon's flight and Carver's hunt require horses, water, and bullets. The course takes them past lone settlers, a wagon train, a rail crew, settlements, and an Indian philosopher. What is the reason for the hunt; what connects Gideon and Carver? What happened at Seraphim Falls?

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Plot Keywords:

horse | bullet | colonel | 1860s | wound | 

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Taglines:

Vengeance never rests.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller | War | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Icon Entertainment International Sony Pictures [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 April 2007 (Taiwan)

Also Known As:

Caccia spietata

Filming Locations:

Death Valley National Park, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$155,560 (USA) (26 January 2007)

Gross:

$413,877 (USA) (2 March 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Icon Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The sunset shown about 47 minutes into the film, when Gideon descends the mountain, was also featured in the final shot of The Astronaut Farmer. Both films were in production in New Mexico at the same time, albeit many miles apart.

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Goofs

During the scenes in the railroad camp, numerous extras are seen flailing away at the new railroad tracks with spike hammers, despite no one actually installing any spikes. In one particularly obvious scene, two teams of laborers drop two rails on the roadbed side by side, then immediately start hammering randomly on them, without anyone actually placing any spikes, or even bothering to gauge the distance between the rails.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Hayes: Well, we definitely got I'm. I wouldn't say gut shot, but got 'im pretty good.
Pope: He didn't even take his rifle. Horse run off though.
Hayes: It's cleared up some. Why don't we get a move on.
Carver: Let him bleed...

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Connections

Featured in Bad Movie Beatdown: Live Wire (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Stacked Them Up in Piles"
Arrangement by Jim Taylor

User Reviews

the best western in a decade or so

Liam Neeson as Carver is hunting Gideon (Pierce Brosnan) through the wilderness of the old west, in this minimalistic western that takes place a little after the Civil War. Very well acted by all involved, and I found myself enjoying it quite a lot. At 2 hours, the film hardly feels it and is seems like a fast watch, never wearing out it's welcome (although coming close to it around the end due to the cameos of Angela Huston and Wes Studi, both parts felt forced and didn't jibe with the film in any way) Aside from that, if you're a fan of the Western genre, you'll find much to enjoy in this one. It's probably the best we've had in a good decade or so. To say Writer/ Director Ancken hit his stride here wouldn't be the right word (I've yet to see his short "Bullet in the Brain", but hear it's excellent), but it IS the film that really made me take notice of his talent and I strongly await whatever he has up his sleeve next.

My Grade: A