The Proposition (2005)

[Scott]

THE PROPOSITION (2005) - Good Australian 1800's outback film about 3 outlaw brothers. Two of the brothers get caught in a bloody shootout. A Captain makes the middle brother a proposition that if he kills his older brother he'll spare the life of the younger brother. This makes for an interesting story and the action is bloody for sure. The music, camera work, story, and acting all come together in this one. The last film about early Australian outlaws that I enjoyed was MAD DOG MORGAN (1976) starring Dennis Hopper. Haven't watch QUIGLEY DOWN UNDER (1990) all the way through yet because I can't watch Tom Selleck do a Western. 

  (8 out of 10 Stars) Gritty and Bloody. Thanks Yaddo for the recommendation.

[BoyScoutKevin]

Ever since WWII ended, the Australian western has been a genera of its own. Besides the ones already named, here are some more. "Eureka Stockade," "The Kangaroo Kid," "Man from Snowy River," "Ned Kelly (two versions of this one, including one with Mick Jagger as the title character.) "The Overlanders," "Return to Snowy River," "The Sundowners," "The Tracker," etc. Of various qualities, but I have found most of them more than watchable.

[Scott]

Oh yea, I remember the NED KELLY one starring Mick Jagger. I think I saw parts of it on Encore Western Channel a couple years ago.

[dean]

The Proposition was great! 

Not that I'm biased at all as an Australian, but it was nice to see a gritty film that oozed Aussie history.

Written by Nick Cave, musician and poet, and that very much translates to the screen.

On another note, Ned Kelly, the Jagger version, is hilarious because of the "Blame it on the Kelly's" song.  The Heath Ledger version, however, was not really that flash.  But released around the same time as Ledger's version, the film "Ned" starring a host of B and C grade Australian entertainers, was a great laugh [it was a spoof on the Ned Kelly story, not unlike the Yahoo Serious version, but less budget and much more crude]

[Ash]

I actually found The Proposition to be quite dull.

I had read Ebert's 4 star review and had heard from others that it was pretty good, but I don't know, it just didn't do it for me.
Throughout most of the movie, I was bored out of my mind.
When the action does come at the end, it was somewhat anti-climactic and kind of a letdown.

Maybe a second viewing might change my mind.



Read Ebert's review:
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060518/REVIEWS/60509003/1023

[Yaddo 42]

Glad you liked it, Scott. Glad to know a true Aussie like Dean likes it as well. I can see Ash's point, but I saw it as the tension building to a meltdown at the end.

I had recenlty read Richard Hughes' book about the founding of Australia, The Fatal Shore before I saw the film. The book end in roughly 1875, but it had given me some background on what life was like there as well as explaining about bushrangers and the whites' relationship with the Aborigines, and the clash of savage line in the wild and Victorian formality and morality. Ray Winstone's treatment of Mikey contrasted with his relationship and treament of Emily Watson, for example.

I was intrigued by the film when I first heard Ebert's review on TV because he invoked the name of Blood Meridian. A book I love a lot and would love to see someone try to film it. I see the comparison to spaghetti westerns in some reviews, but not the style or mood of Leone. It's much more stark and brooding than that. The opening set the mood for me since it put you right in the middle of things and gave you a heads up for the brutality and hearltessness to follow.

Even picked up a copy of this for $1.99 at Gamestop the other day, along with Cape Fear (the original) and Sammo Hung in Iron-Fisted Monk.

Sorry I didn't reply sooner, I've been offline for a few days, and on here less lately in general, real life has intruded. I'm starting a new job, working day shift instead of nights, a total change for me and have had to adjust a daily schedule more like "normal" folks but alien to me.

[Scott]

This definitely isn't a Spaghetti Western, but I can see how some may be bored by this film. It's as much a historical film as an action film. From the historical, story, acting, and action you can get an appreciation for the film.

The old English bounty hunter talking about the land being one of the worst places he'd ever been and the flies give you a feel for a far away unsettled land. The landscape is also a very big part of this film. Australian desert is certainly a harsh environment.

[dean]

I was very tired the first time I saw this at the cinema, and found myself dozing off slowly during the first 15 odd minutes [a hard day at work compounded by a late night before-hand isn't the best viewing environment], but then it woke me up quick, and once it had my concentration, I never looked back.

But yeah, it's a slow, drawn out 'poetic' film, which is very different in feel than your usual 'yee-haw' type westerns.

The issues of race and morality is certainly one which strikes home very effectively as an Australian, and well it's just a beautiful, yet harsh landscape isn't it?

A good ten years ago when I was a little tacker, my family and I went on a road trip for 8 weeks throughout Australia.  Basically we went up the 'red centre' and down the east coast, and there were alot of places in central Australia that really were like those in the story, except more civilised of course. [I think from memory this was filmed in Queensland, a northern state.]  One famous town, Cooper Pedy. has most of the residents living underground due to the extreme heat of the place, and the harsh landscape.

On another note you can see why Mad Max had some great desert scenes [in which some were filmed near Cooper Pedy].  We don't really have dunes as such, but great long expanses of red dirty soil, and some pretty awesome rock formations that stick out of nowhere.

I love the land, and the feel of it, but man it's harsh as hell in those areas and very easy to lose yourself.  I can't imagine how tough it would have been for the pioneers of this country to tame that landscape since it's difficult enough when you're passing through [and we did it the easier way: long highways etc]

But yeah, a film maybe not to everyone's taste, but it really does ooze Australian, through and through...

[and yes those flies are very bloody annoying...]

[Ash]

For those who haven't seen it yet...check out this trailer...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7V-CW_SUos
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