Pierce Brosnan: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

5 Awesome Performances...

5. Gideon - Seraphim Falls (2006)

Discounting Connery's appearance in Shalako, this is perhaps the only instance where an actor who played James Bond has gone on to do a western (and no, Hot Fuzz or Cowboys & Aliens don't count). It might seem like an ill fit at first glance, but Brosnan takes to his new surroundings pretty well, turning in a good performance which rises above the film as a whole. Seraphim Falls is a tale of revenge set three years after the end of the American Civil War. Beginning in the Ruby Mountains, it follows Colonel Carver (Liam Neeson) and his pursuit of fellow soldier Gideon (Brosnan) for what happened at the eponymous Falls shortly after the war ended. The chase leads them through the mountains and across the plains, with both parties leaving death and bloodshed in their wake as they build up to the inevitable confrontation. Seraphim Falls isn't a great film by any means: it's very episodic, the narrative is derivative, its ending is very clumsy and we don't empathise enough with Neeson's character. But what is does have in its favour is Brosnan's performance, which surprises us without looking like it's trying to do just that. Having made us wince in the opening scene, where he has to dig out a bullet from his own arm with a bowie knife, Brosnan gives us a convincing portrayal of deep-rooted guilt and regret. It's a fitting place to start our countdown - and plus, the goatee rather suits him.