The Proposition
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Movie Reviews of The Proposition
Movie Review: Well done
Summary: 5 Stars
Only if you were a Nick Cave fan before he immersed himself in writing fiction can you appreciate the film. I hesitated seeing the movie because I did hear mixed-reviews, but I felt obligated as a Nick Cave fan. The movie did not let me down in the least. In fact, I think it ranks higher in caliber than many other movies I have seen this year--I find "The Proposition" to be quite undervalued.Movie Review: Proposition review by a friend of Australians
Summary: 5 Stars
I have traveled extensively in Australia and followed many of the Australian movies and the history of the country. In my opinion, while this is a tough subject, I think it exceptionally well done, and the background location certainly supports the subject material.
Movie Review: One of the best films in 2006.
Summary: 5 Stars
It's a masterpiece. In the roots of "The Big Country", this one is one of the best westerns I ever seen (even better than "Unforgiven"). Perhaps too raw for some people, but worth the effort to watch it. If you have a great home theatre you'll enjoy twice.Movie Review: Awesome!
Summary: 5 Stars
Just watched this last night! Very Cool! Very violent 19th century Australian western. This movie is hard to watch without filching, but watch you must. Instant classic!
Movie Review: Great visuals and atmosphere, but a little short on plot
Summary: 4 Stars
'The Proposition' is one of the dirtiest, bleakest films I've ever seen, and certainly the darkest western, far surpassing films like 'The Wild Bunch' or 'Unforgiven' in this respect. On the downside, 'The Proposition' is sometimes so obsessed with creating a mood of desolation that it forgets to have anything happen. This makes the film a bit of a disappointment, as it gets so much right but lets us down quite a bit on the simple story telling level. Still, it succeeds enough in these other respects that it's more than worthwhile, but you can't help but wonder how great this movie could've been if it had a bit more going for it with the plot. Of course, I think the extreme desolation of the film is partially rooted in it's slow pace and occasional uneventfulness, so perhaps they couldn't have punched up the plot w/o weakening the mood. I dunno. Still, you could hope for more.
'The Proposition' centers around the three Burns brothers in 1880's Australia. They've recently been involved in a brutal murder and rape, and the two younger ones have been captured by Capt. Stanley. Stanley, however, isn't satisfied: Mikey is young and a simpleton, obviously not truly responsible for his actions, and Charlie seems remorseful, perhaps also corrupted by association. The leader, clearly, is Arthur, who is still at large with a cadre of killers. So, Stanley proposes that he release Charlie, and that Charlie's goes and kills Arthur, earning a pardon for both him and Mikey. If Charlie does not return with Arthur dead by Christmas, Mikey will be hanged.
This central plot actually takes fairly little screen time, up until the very end. Charlie finds Arthur fairly quickly, but he, quite reasonably, doesn't act immediately. He doesn't know what to do. Arthur is, after all, his brother. The film focuses on Capt. Stanley as much, if not more than the Burns brothers. He is committed, as he famously states, to 'civilize this land.' This will not be easy, as he is not a monster, and this is a very monstrous land. He also wishes to protect his wife from the horrors of the country, but they're so numerous that this is not a simple task, the problem compounded by the fact that Eliza Hopkins, the murdered woman, was a friend of hers. Furthermore, one of Stanley's superiors is displeased with Stanley's deal, and he will fight against Stanley in honoring it. Stanley is at the heart of the film, a generally good man stuck in a hopeless situation, and his position is somewhat reflected in Charlie's dilemma as well. (Charlie isn't good, however, though he is better than most others around him, so it comes to much the same thing.)
This is a gorgeous and gruesome film. The Australian desert is certainly reminiscent of the American, but it's somehow more foreboding and majestic, and director Hillcoat uses it beautifully. The film is as much about showing us the sun-scorched desert as it is anything else, so I hope you have a taste for it. I'd dare say that this film uses a desert locale better than any other film I can think of. Westerns are often interested in the clash of civilization with savagery, and 'The Proposition' shows this particularly well, largely due to the specific setting. The characters siding with law and order come from a Victorian-English background, an era which is at least perceived as being especially distant and obsessed with social mores, so the contrast is especially powerful.
The desert is also filled with death and violence; the buzzing of flies is omnipresent, unknown bodies scatter the scenery. This is perhaps one of the most brutally violent films I've ever seen. That's not to say it's one of the goriest films I've seen, though it's definitely got moments like that, intensity and gore are not the same thing. (Indeed they're often contrary to one another, as gore usually turns into impersonal spectacle.) Scenes such as the lengthy scourging and a remorseless stomping murder have a sort of brute intensity rarely matched elsewhere. Needless to say, this film is not for the faint of heart.
Performances are strong across the board. Guy Pearce, as Charlie, usually gets top billing, though he is perhaps one of the less memorable characters. He honestly exists more as a plot device than a person. Still, I like Pearce in general and he generates a certain amount of sympathy for his character even though he doesn't tell us much about himself. Ray Winstone's Capt. Stanley is more striking, and he's a truly sympathetic, almost tragic figure, as he works for his impossible tasks of controlling the land and protecting his wife. Emily Watson is also good as Martha Stanley, powerfully conveying the sort of horrified disbelief that overcomes her as she comes to see what life is really like there. Finally, John Hurt is memorable as a crazed, drunken bounty hunter also after Arthur. He's quite hammy, but he's still got real menace about him, and adds a bit of life to the picture.
While the film is, as a whole, a bit low on action, it comes to life quite effectively at the end. I don't dare go into specifics, but it becomes quite intense, probably all the more so because of the slowness of the earlier scenes. It's a long buildup, but it proves to be worth it.
I haven't done this film much justice in this review. It's quite a unique experience. You just have to watch it. If you wanna see the dankest, dreariest western around, this one's for you.
Grade: B+
P.S. Another reviewer noted that `The Proposition' was similar to some earlier westerns. [GASP!!!!] I'm stunned. Really. Who would've imagined it, a western influenced by earlier westerns. You learn something new every day I guess.