Review of The Proposition (2005) by Mack S — 19 Jan 2011

I am not at all a big western fan, but as I sat in my chair after watching "The Proposition" my views on westerns changed.

The film is about an australian outlaw named Charlie Burns (Guy Pearce) who is given a proposition by Captain Stanley (Ray Winestone), if Charlie kills his psychotic older brother Arthur (Danny Huston) Stanely will release his younger brother Mikey and give both brothers amnesty for the crimes they have committed. If not then Mikey will be hanged on Christmas Day. As Charlie searches he soon comes face-to-face with Arthur whom the aboriginals call "The Dog Man". All this leads to a very intense climax that is pure genius in my book.

The western film was overdone btween the 1950s and the late 1960's, nowadays there is rarely a western in theaters. I think this movie is what Sergio Leone would have made if he was from Australia. great acting from Guy Pearce, Ray Winestone, John Hurt, and Emily Watson as the Captains wife. what really impressed me was that the script was written by musician Nick Cave (Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds)and the direction by John Hillcoat is very precise. the graphic violence also adds to the films preciseness (especially the flogging scene and the climax). But the one thing I did not like was that the middle is somewhat slow, not extremley slow but just enough for me to notice it.

All in all this is a awesome film that is probably one of the best westerns I have ever seen!