Quigley Down Under
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Movie Reviews of Quigley Down Under
Movie Review: Ride, shoot straight, and speak the truth.
Summary: 5 Stars
I think the creators of this movie had it clear in their minds they were making an unapologetic "guy film," and therefore the result is an unconfused and satisfying film for guys, in the tradition of James Bond.
The good guy is clearly good (and omnipotent, or nearly so), the bad guys are clearly those who need to be defeated. There is a pretty and buxom young girl (Laura San Giacomo), plenty of guns, and "good" violence, i.e., good triumphing over evil. We guys are not complicated. Give us guns, girls, a good war, and hey, we're satisfied (a cold beer doesn't hurt, either).
The introduction of a new twist on the Western theme by taking it to Australia works well. Giving Quigley's Sharp's rifle star quality, and portraying the Aborigines as noble savages just works. This is a satisfying movie.
Alan Rickman, as arch-meanie Elliot Marston, is very strong in his role as a villain who is not without virtue; he is smart and cunning and also good with a six-gun -- good enough to be second best -- but he is not a depraved psycho. He is a man who is fatally flawed; this adds plausibility to the story.
If you're an RBAM (Red-Blooded American Male), you'll probably like this movie. I recommend it.
Movie Review: This western has it all!
Summary: 5 Stars
Tom Selleck was born to play in westerns. I only wish he had done more of them, because he nails it every time. I've watched this film so much that it was time to add it to my personal movie collection. It has everything I love in a good western: adventure, comedy, romance, drama and real heart. The main actors absolutely soar in their performance. Tom Selleck and Laura San Giacomo have wonderful chemistry together. I especially appreciated that we are given the opportunity to see the relationship between Matthew/Roy and Crazy Cora develop in a slow and believable way, rather than just implied or rushed like many of today's Hollywood films. I loved the part where she is standing on the porch, watching him ride off. Alan Rickman with his quiet persona is perfection as the character you love to hate. The showdown between his character and Selleck's is awesome. There are some very tough and brutal scenes, but they are not overdone and are softened by the romance and humor sprinkled throughout. The ending was sheer delight. Oh, and I'd be remiss if I didn't say that the music is mesmerizing, while the scenery is breathtaking. I really enjoyed that it took place in the Australian outback.Movie Review: Terrifically entertaining old-school western
Summary: 5 Stars
Quigley Down Under is a terrific old-school western relocated to Australia that never found the audience it deserved. Originally intended as a Steve McQueen vehicle, Tom Selleck makes a surprisingly excellent replacement as the sharpshooter who goes to Australia only to find new employer and Wild West buff Alan Rickman (in typical sneering mode) wants him to kill the local aborigines. Naturally, Selleck and Laura San Giacomo's crazy woman find themselves dumped in the desert and on the other side with the expected results, but the pleasure's all in the telling, not least thanks to a well-crafted script by John Hill. Selleck's Quigley is a likeable, decent yet believable hero, Giacomo's character is surprisingly well drawn and Simon Wincer stages the action and character scenes with equal aplomb. Add superlative scope photography from Dean Semler and one of Basil Poledouris' best and most enjoyable scores and it adds up to the most purely enjoyable old-fashioned Western in the past few decades.
The DVD transfer could be a little sharper and the extras package is slight - trailer, 2 TV spots and a brief featurette - but it's worth picking up just for the film.
Movie Review: I'm still amazed I'm giving it five stars
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie was fun with a great setting. Tom Selleck took his role research seriously and Laura San Giacomo was memorable as the crazy whore with the sad secret. Alan Rickman was well cast as the deplorable rich landowner with the sniveling bravado and the posse of cruel but incompetent mercenaries. The scenes of Aboriginal magic were very well done--eerie, yet with a feeling of integrity that threw the greed of some of the white men in the movie into perfect contrast.
The ending was very satisfying. I was amazed to check myself and find how totally absorbed I'd become. Since I'd started off the movie guffawing sarcastically at Tom Selleck swaggering off the ship in his Quigley sharpshooter gear, I chalk it up to good storytelling to say I was a changed woman as the last scene rolled.
I was also gratified to see that they really did film it on location, near Alice Springs, rather than an American desert or Hollywood back lot; and the shore scenes were done in Victoria--which is a long way from Fremantle, WA (Western Australia) but at least it was still on the Australian continent.
Movie Review: A Memorable Western, Eh Mate?
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a bit a twist: a western in which the setting is Australia, not the United States. Yet, the film features two American characters, played by Tom Selleck and Laura San Giacomo. It's a simple, well-done revenge story with a nice slow-developing romance as the subplot. Meanhile, Alan Rickman, who was good at this sort of thing, plays the hated, despicable villain.
The movie is appealing because it has a good mixture of action (and that is mixed, too, not just the same kind of fistfights or gun battles), romance, nice scenery and a little comedy thrown in.
Warning: this a rough film in parts with a couple of harrowing scenes, such as people being pushed off cliffs, Selleck brutally beaten several times and wild vicious dingoes threatening San Giacamo and a little baby, but the action never goes on too long.
All in all, I found it one of the more memorable westerns I've watched. If for nothing else, the awesome sound of Selleck's Sharp Calibre .44 rifle makes this film hard to forget.