The Proposition

The Proposition (2005): This is truly a masterpiece of a movie. It is an Australian western about the outback frontier in the 1880’s. The proposition is made by a somewhat nasty lawman to a captured felon. He will release his younger brother scheduled to hang in a few weeks and also give him a pardon if he will kill his other brother who is hiding in the outback. As the story progresses, you see the lawman is not just a stereotype and actually cares tenderly for his wife but is driven to succeed at his job while being frustrated by the local politician. The characters are well drawn down to even the minor characters. The brother targeted for elimination is a poetry spouting well read intellectual type with a lust for violence. For a while, you will not be able to stop liking this evil man for he hides his evil behind a mask of civility. The interaction of the characters is well done and even the conflict between the aborigines and the Europeans is hinted at on occasion. The movie is also not short on violence and most of the characters are greasy, sweaty, and pretty dirty as they would have been living in that rough dry environment. The photography is excellent, showing the land’s beauty as well as its ugliness, not easy to do in an action drama. And the musical score fits perfectly with the zeitgeist of the movie. If you haven’t seen this flick, rent it soon. The movie is rated R for: excessive dirt, 100 lashes to the back, stoning prisoners, spear though the chest, bullet through the intestines, a near rape, and especially for the large amount of greasy sweat rolling off most of the cast.