Out of nowhere, the Western seems to be enjoying its latest mini-resurgence. And while Seraphim Falls isn't quite as high profile as the recent 3:10 To Yuma, it's still a solidly made piece of cinema that's well worth spending some time with. It centres around the search for a man named Gideon, played by Pierce Brosnan, and the reasons for said search aren't clear at the start of the film. But what is certain is that a small party is on his trail, led by Liam Neeson's Morsman Carver, and that Carver is very determined to get his man. From this set up, Seraphim Falls slowly unfolds as an intelligent, ambiguous mish-mash of Western and thriller, and an intriguing one at that.
Seraphim Falls, it should be said, isn't a ride without a few problems. The pacing isn't consistent, for instance, and the back end of the film doesn't make the most of the build up before it. But there's still plenty in its corner. Its two star actors are in excellent form, with both Brosnan and Neeson revelling in the complexity of their respective characters, while some sequences are genuinely exciting too.
If Serphami Falls, though, fails to quite deliver what it hints it's capable of, then it still leaves enough in place to enjoy. Refusing to dumb down its approach, it's a grown-up, interesting movie, and one that's easily possible to warm to in spite of the aforementioned problems. Roll on more Westerns, say weÂ… --Jon Foster