Review of The Proposition (2005) by Adam R — 08 May 2011

Rooted firmly in the traditions of filmmakers who won the American West -- John Ford, Howard Hawks, Anthony Mann, et al -- "The Proposition" combines a classic tale of brotherhood, friendship and violently clashing cultures with brilliant photography that does for the Australian Outback what Ford did for Monument Valley. Though it resurrects a genre long overlooked with many of the same conventions, "Proposition" injects reams of originality thanks not only to its location but its eye for showing the brutal toll of violence, not just the blood, but also with its handling of the relations between the white colonists and the Aboriginals populating the nascent country.

In an exceedingly difficult effort to keep order in a lawless territory, Capt. Stanley (Ray Winstone) offers bandit Charlie Burns (Guy Pearce) the opportunity to save his and simpleton brother Mikey's (Richard Wilson) lives in exchange for the assassination of their eldest brother Arthur (Danny Huston), a sadistic lunatic who has come to symbolize chaos and terror in not only the settlers' eyes but the natives' as well.

Ultimately, "Proposition" is less a chase film than it is an elegia for the land and way of life that slips away when colonization intrudes. However, this is no hand-wringing expose of innocent, persecuted natives set upon by hardened, apathetic, evil colonists; even the most violent characters tend to have at least some element of humanity to them (even the psychotic Arthur follows a somewhat perplexing moral code, of sorts), and no race is depicted as good or bad. Both Aboriginal and English/Irish transplant alike engage in a cautious symbiotic relationship, hints of prejudice eclipsed by the danger of the land surrounding the characters.

Indeed, the only constant villain in the film seems to be the environment: Despite the beautiful cinematography by Benoit Delhomme, the landscape contains countless natural dangers, not to speak of every cliff and cave possibly concealing an unseen human enemy.

The unforgiving terrain proves a polarizing factor in the lives of the characters. Some, like the bandits, choose to live closer to nature in an effort to attain freedom. Others, notably the colonial leadership, attempt to hew what semblance of civilization they can out of the harsh foreign environ, a fruitless endeavor perfectly exemplified by Stanley and his wife (Emily Watson), who maintain a peculiar English garden in what passes for a front lawn and try to hold traditional customs -- fancy Christmas dinner; polite conversation about nearly nothing -- even as a slaughter waits right outside their door.