Review of The Proposition (2005) by Jean Jacques T — 16 Nov 2010

Monday, October 25, 2010.

(2005) The Proposition.

WESTERN.

Great first half, but extremely terrible second half! The gory violence never offended me but the story structure of this film is completely off when right at the beginning three brothers were captured from a shack leaving one of the brothers dead because of gunshot wounds leaving only Guy Pierce and the youngest brother of the bunch still alive. The captain that's in charge of this capture of the brothers remaining makes a propositon with Guy Pierce to capture the most sadistic one of all which is his oldest brother and then bring him back only in 8 days to the captain to be tried and that he would grant him some leniency over his initial sentence for both him and his younger brother- if he doesn't then they will kill his brother regardless! The rest of the film has Guy Pierce travelling the beautiful Austrilian landscape doing just that. Some of the problems with this film has alot to do with which the initial crime which all the brothers had commited beforehand in the first place that the only thing viewers know throughout the whole film is that what the brothers did involved a heinous act of rape and a killing of a pregnant woman and her family, leaving viewers asking what role do each of them have if any at all the brothers had done! All we have been left to speculate is that the most hideous one of all is the oldest brother which why Guy Pierce was asked to bring him back!

*********Spoiler warning*********************************.

This is the most confusing part of the whole film that although the younger brother was killed by the mob who wanted him whipped lashed 100 a times before the 8 days promised, thanks to the captain's wife. That although Guy Pierce came late, he was angry enough to wipe out his other two brothers since he assumed that the youngest brothers death was the result of coming late and not because the captain gave in to the mob that wanted him persecuted regardless of what the captain agreed on! What didn't make sense to me is why couldn't they have left to save his youngest brother beforehand instead of waiting this long to come and save him! And as a result of this lateness has Pierce making assumptions by shooting his two brothers leaving viewers completely hanging, since it wasn't even the other two brothers fault for the younger ones death invoking viewers wondering whether or not it would've really made any difference or not since his hieinous brother did save his life twice in a role! Also, from what I saw, I couldn't stop thinking about the lack of communication between Guy Pirece and his older brother where he could've asked him what viewers want to know is why did he kill this other woman and her family! The insinuation from all I can gather from what I've seen on screen is that his older brother doesn't like cops and likes to torture people before he kills them(John Hurt) but aside from what I've seen throughout the whole film is that he loves his brothers and would do anything to save them. This movie lacks alot of common sense despite the natural beauty locals of Austrailia and the gruesome violence!

Another perspective was that the Guy Pierce character shot his two brothers at the end because he was tired and wanted to "stop" the violence! Except that it would have made some difference if the youngest brother had lived!

2 out of 4.