The film opens in the snowy mountains of the post-Civil War American West. Without dialogue, we witness , a man huddled over a small fire, cooking a rabbit. In the distance, Carver (Liam Neeson) watches through a sniper scope. Carver fires, grazing Gideon’s arm. Thus begins a relentless, 48-hour chase.
"Seraphim Falls" takes place in the post-Civil War era, specifically in 1868. The story revolves around Marcus Creighton (Pierce Brosnan), a former Confederate Colonel who has grown disillusioned with the war and its objectives. As the South crumbles, Creighton sets out to find a sense of purpose and redemption. His journey, however, is soon disrupted by the arrival of a mysterious and vengeful figure, Judah Low (Michael McKean), a former Union soldier who seeks to claim a $6,000 reward on Creighton's head. Seraphim Falls
Thus, Seraphim Falls is a metaphor for the descent of divine justice into human savagery. Carver believes he is a seraph, an angel of death delivering righteous punishment. Gideon, however, represents the fallen soul trying to escape damnation. By the film’s climax at a surreal, desert outpost called "Seraphim," both men have lost their humanity. They are no longer soldiers or fathers; they are ghosts trapped in a cycle of sin. The film opens in the snowy mountains of
Director Von Ancken, a veteran of television (known for The Shield and Crossbones ), understands that a Western lives or dies by its terrain. Cinematographer ( Braveheart , The Thin Red Line ) shoots the film with an epic, painterly eye. Carver fires, grazing Gideon’s arm
If you decide to watch Seraphim Falls tonight, keep these themes in mind:
One night—the last night—Elias sat on the boulder where Temperance had stood watching the jumpers die. His beard was white. His hands were claws. He hadn’t spoken a word in three years.