The thirst for revenge can be unquenchable.

In Seraphim Falls, a protracted chase set in the treacherous mountains and desert of mid-19th century Nevada, two men play out a life or death struggle for survival.

The shocking events which bind hunter and prey, and spark the relentless and bloodthirsty pursuit, only come into focus during a final, horrific flashback, which radically alters our perception of the characters.

Death can be the only resolution, but writer-director David Von Ancken and co-writer Abby Everett Jaques keep us guessing who will take a bullet right up to the closing frame, by which time rage and guilt have gnawed away at the protagonists' tortured souls.

The Civil War may have ended but there is fresh blood to be spilt in the snow-laden Ruby Mountains.

Confederate Colonel Morsman Carver (Liam Neeson) and his trigger-happy posse - Hayes (Michael Wincott), Pope (Robert Baker), Parsons (Ed Lauter) and inexperienced whelp Kid (John Robinson) are hunting a most elusive creature: Union captain Gideon (Pierce Brosnan).

Vastly outnumbered, Gideon uses stealth and cunning to elude his pursuers.

Carver and his associates soon catch up though, and Gideon is wounded in the crossfire.

Staggering onwards, Gideon seeks help from a terrified family, a wagon train of God-fearing folk and an alluring saleswoman, Madame Louise (Angelica Huston).

Yet still Carver and his men continue to mercilessly hunt Gideon down.

Director of photography John Toll fills the screen with breathtaking images, the bitter chill of picturesque woods shrouded in snow contrasting with the rippling heat of a barren desert, where Gideon's inspired plan to avoid dehydration provides an unexpected jump-out-of-your-seat moment late into the film.

Director Von Ancken, making his feature film debut after a distinguished career on various hit television series, creates tension in the opening hour with some dramatic and gory set pieces.

The scene in which Gideon gouges the bullet from his arm with a hunting knife, then heats the blade to cauterize the bleeding hole, should finish off anyone with a weak stomach.

However, the film drags its spurs badly in the second hour, shuffling and stumbling like the exhausted Gideon and Carver to a climactic showdown.

Neeson fails to convey the intense hatred that drives his tortured officer.

Gideon remains a blank canvas throughout, but Brosnan is far more compelling, gritting his teeth as his character is worn down by the endless cycle of violence.

Aside from Huston's theatrics, supporting performances fade against the stunning vistas of the untamed West.