The Proposition
Set in Australia in the 1880s, the film opens in the middle of a frenzied gunfight between the police and a gang of outlaws. Charlie Burns (Guy Pearce) and his brother Mikey are captured by Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone). Together with their psychopathic brother Arthur (Danny Huston), they are wanted for a brutal crime.
Stanley makes Charlie a seemingly impossible proposition in an attempt to bring an end to the cycle of bloody violence. Charlie is released to hunt down his murderous older brother in order to save his younger brother from the noose.
Member Reviews
Pretty good - rnhaas
There's a lot to like here. It visits many of the major themes of the western and it puts a slightly different spin on them by setting the film in Australia. The acting is good and it is beautiful to look at. The "don't make a deal with the devil" moral that I thought was coming didn't turn out, which I appreciate. I think the pacing is, at times, a little off. But the thing that I liked least (which is utterly surprising because I love the Bad Seeds) is the score: at times it is WAY over the top and seems utterly inappropriate, especially given the setting of the 1880s. It's not a bad score per se, I just think it's too attention-grabbing for a film like this.A Western From Down Under - MovieProf
“The Proposition” is an unusual Western, in that it takes place in the Australian Outback of the late 19th century. The plot centres around a group of brothers, the Burns boys, who have recently attacked, tortured, and killed a family. When two of them are caught, the police captain, Morris Stanley (Ray Winstone) convinces Charlie, the elder of the two (Guy Pearce) that if he tracks down and brings in his older brother Arthur (Danny Huston), he and younger brother Mike will be released. Charlie has nine days, until Christmas, to find and bring in Arthur.
Despite spectacular scenery and some decent acting performances, “The Proposition” left me a bit cold. My biggest problem here is the soundtrack. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis use poetry, amplifier feedback, and other odd choices to create an atmosphere of chaos—which I understand—but I often found the soundtrack far too evident. I think music works best when it doesn’t’ stand out; here, it stands out far too much, and feels wrong much of the time for me.
What I love about this film, apart from the aforementioned visuals, is the grittiness of the characters: no one looks “well:” long hair, stubble, bad teeth—this is the 19th century as it must have looked on the Outback. Well done.Bergman meets Peckinpaw in the outback - guelphite
This is a very well made movie, with fantastic photography, brilliant scripting, music and editing and very interesting pacing. That is, while there is ample brutality and twisted nastiness, the whole movie moves along at a measured pace with short interludes of frenzied unpleasantness. The acting is outstanding throughout. I have a minor gripe with John Hurt, as the over-the-top bounty hunter. While I think he is a great actor, he is overacting here. Too bad the director did not sit on his head to tone him down a bit.
Definitely a movie to see again.
Member Reviews
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Pretty good - rnhaas
There's a lot to like here. It visits many of the major themes of the western and it puts a slightly different spin on them by setting the film in Australia. The acting is good and it is beautiful to look at. The "don't make a deal with the devil" moral ...A Western From Down Under - MovieProf
“The Proposition” is an unusual Western, in that it takes place in the Australian Outback of the late 19th century. The plot centres around a group of brothers, the Burns boys, who have recently attacked, tortured, and killed a family. When two of them are ...Bergman meets Peckinpaw in the outback - guelphite
This is a very well made movie, with fantastic photography, brilliant scripting, music and editing and very interesting pacing. That is, while there is ample brutality and twisted nastiness, the whole movie moves along at a measured pace with short interludes ...