The Proposition

Australia is a country in the throws of settlement by the English and lawlessness is rife. As the bloody clearing of aborigines continues, one gang's attack on a white family causes outrage. The pressure is on Captain Stanley to bring in the Burns gang, led by the sadistic and heartless Arthur. When Stanley's men capture the two younger brothers he strikes a deal with Charlie, the elder of the two. In nine days time, on Christmas Day, young Mike will hang unless Charlie has returned with his brother – dead or alive.

The plot summary and the advertising seemed to offer some form of thriller but in reality the film delivers something altogether more interesting and memorable. Set in the Australia outback where settlements are being born and laws being established, the film charts the moral complexities of the good and bad in the story while painting a beautifully bleak backdrop of open space and bloody, pointless violence. It is not an easy film to watch and certainly not one to expect to come out of laughing or feeling good about things. Nor is it a film to go into expecting a traditional plot because it is this area where the film is at its weakest because it is not a "this happened, this happened then that happened" sort of story. This is not to say it is boring but it does require patience for the casual viewer. Personally I found most scenes to be interesting but most admit that the narrative kind of hangs around rather than moving forward firmly in one direction.

The substance is more in the characters than in the narrative and on this level it was engaging. Although the posters and summary will tell you this is about the Burns brothers, it is as much if not more about Stanley and his wife. It is he would has the duality of trying to defeat violence by encouraging it while also heaving under the burden of trying to take this job entirely on his own shoulders while protecting his wife from knowing anything about the real world out in the desert. It is an interesting thread and for my money it was the thrust of the story – the issue of what Charlie will do is actually part of Stanley's story rather than the other way around. With this as the story the film is much better because it does paint a convincing tale around this. The Burns brothers thread is still interesting but less is done with it – with Arthur himself being very little more than an enigmatic plot device.

Style wise the film is fantastic as it delivers a bleakly convincing picture of the birth of Australia. The landscape is beautifully filmed and, although Cave could have done more as writer, his contribution to the soundtrack is as welcome as it is well used. The sudden moments of violence are uncomfortable and difficult to watch. They are delivered in visceral moments of gore that are bereft of any touches that would glamorise the death; here it is horrible and full of flies. Of course you are right to note that a hauntingly stylish delivery should not be taken as a replacement for substance but I think it has just about enough of the latter and an abundance of the former to carry the film as a whole.

The cast are mixed but nobody really turns in a bad performance. Winstone dominates the film with easily the best performance and the most interesting character. His Captain Stanley wears every decision and Winstone allows us to see the effect this country has had on his soul. Watson is also good, simple at first but touched by the violence that her husband cannot defend her from. Pearce is an astute and subtle actor who keeps the audience with his thread even though it is less interesting; however Huston is not used as well as he deserved. He gives a memorable performance but his character is never more than an action waiting to happen. Wilson is convincingly young and his flogging is difficult to stomach, while Hurt turns up in a nice cameo as a bounty hunter. As much as the performances though, the film is about atmosphere, and Hillcoat has done a great job in producing a desolate film that is as beautiful as it is disheartening.

An imperfect film due to the lack of a strong narrative, this is still a memorable affair for many reasons. It looks great, has a great use of music and produces a haunting desolation in the country and the characters. Not a fun night out by any means but for what it is, it is well worth seeing.

Nick Cave's essay in the true and tried Western format, shows how a harsh land (Colonial Australia) brutalizes the men who try and conquer it. Yet this tale has passages of lyricism that counterpoint the sudden moments of savagery. It is a very gritty often grisly picture of 19th Century Australia, warts and all, right down to swarms of blowflies. Perhaps the sadistic violence gets a bit over the top especially towards the end, but thanks to a fine cast, crisp direction, and the scorched cinematography it generally works. A standout performance in a minor role by John Hurt rather steals the show, while Ray Winstone and Emily Watson are particularly sensitive together. One suspects the harsh conditions are somewhat overstated for dramatic purposes, though the story is supposedly based on fact. Tombstone Territory never looked as unpleasant as this. It is certainly one of the most interesting period dramas made in Australia.

This movie is a visceral, violent study of blood-ties exploring ethnic and family bonds, feuds, loyalty and betrayal. You can literally smell the reeking sweat, blood and dust of the colonial Outback coming off the screen.

Nick Cave's script is shot through with his signature dark poetry; it translates wonderfully onto the screen. Guy Pearce, Ray Winston and Danny Huston put in powerful performances. Emily Watson is also superb but somehow this film seems to be more about men than women and so her performance feels a little isolated from the rest of the movie.

The film is a strangely skewed morality tale crossed with a tale of the absurd. There is something so absurd about Captain Stanley's English breakfast and standard roses in the hot, fly-blown wastelands of the movie, and off course there is something so absurd about how violent humans beings are to each other. Despite all the violence though, some of which is stomach-turning, this movie has some moments of great tenderness and elegy.

Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone) is the new lawman of the territory and he's determined to civilize the brutal wasteland. A band of outlaws comprised of three brothers and a few others stand in his way. Yet two of the brothers want out after their sibling leader commits a crime in one of his raids. The two are apprehended by Capt. Stanley, who offers a proposition to the older of the two (Guy Pearce): Find and assassinate the leader and both will go free.

"The Proposition" (2005) is a Western that takes place in Australia, yet it's far from a typical Western. The filmmaking, cinematography, actors, locations, soundtrack and editing are top-of-the-line with a surreal, haunting edge. As my title blurb suggests, there are similarities to "Heart of Darkness" and the original "Apocalypse Now," although it fails to achieve the greatness of the latter.

The story plays out in a realistic manner with long stretches of drama and bleak landscapes interspersed with flashes of extreme violence. Ray Winstone and Guy Pearce are great as the two main protagonists. Capt. Stanley understandably wants to rid the land of the brute outlaws, whereas Charlie seeks redemption for himself and his little brother.

Danny Huston is captivating as the focal point and villain, Arthur Burns. Yet he's not a villain in the cliched sense and he's not one-dimensional. He loves the beauty of God's creation, he loves the art of language and he's a mystic of sorts, but he clearly crossed the line at some point in his outlaw endeavors and now must be wiped off the face of the planet. Will Charlie do it?

My only criticism is that the film seems too short at 1 hour, 44 minutes. It needed more time for details and character development. As it is, we sort of have to guess the details, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I just wish the film would have gone the route of "Apocalypse Now" and given us more definition and development.

At the end of the day, this is one of those films that gets better with repeat viewings, as long as you like the approach of films like "Apocalypse Now," just way shorter (too short). I would love to see a Director's Cut that adds about 20-45 minutes.

It was shot in Winton, Queensland, which is in the northeast Outback of Australia.

GRADE: B+

Wow, what a brutal "western." I put "western" in quotes because most people think of the western half of the United States as being the locale for western movies. This movie was made and set in Australia but the time frame is similar: around 1880. What's "brutal" about the story is the violence, bloodshed and language - but only in spots. The language is odd in that the vocabulary of most of the people is above-average, but be warned there are a number of f-words. I question whether that word was around in the 19th century, but it's prevalent in this film. Actually, the violent scenes will be more offensive to viewers than the profanity. Like the profanity, however, the violence only comes in spurts. Most of the film has much calmer moments, surprisingly low-key.

One thing that is there throughout the 104 minutes is the excellent cinematography. This is a pretty film, nicely shot with some beautiful scenery and colors, stylish at times, too. To me, this was the best part of the movie. It's indeed a visual treat. Benoit Delholmme deservedly won several international awards for his camera-work in here.

The story is uniquely presented, different enough that it kept me very involved wondering what was coming next. For those expecting a brainless revenge story or shoot 'em up western, they will be disappointed. There is a lot of thought to this film, and it varies scene- to-scene from classy to crude.

Guy Pearce, Ray Winstone and Emily Watson are three actors I am familiar with, and I enjoyed all three of their performances. This is not a well-known movie here in the States, but if you like tough westerns and something a bit different, check it out.