The Proposition .

Australia released, PAL/Region 4 DVD:it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ),English ( Subtitles ),ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (1.85:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu,SYNOPSIS: The teeth are yellow in the Australian western "The Proposition," and the sky is as red as blood. Directed by John Hillcoat from a screenplay by the darkly moody musician and author Nick Cave, the film tells a story of murder in the outback that is as cruel as it is aesthetically flamboyant. The wide open spaces and roughneck history of modern Australia, including the wholesale slaughter of the continent's native peoples, make the country a natural setting for a western. Not surprisingly, given Mr. Cave's fondness for the baroquely macabre, "The Proposition" takes a jaundiced view of the frontier. That's particularly true of the white settlers, who in both their tooth decay and moral rot come across as more desperate than even Sam Peckinpah's most colorful desperadoes, and who appear fairly indistinguishable no matter on what side of the law they travel. Mr. Cave left Australia years ago, but his native country's penal-colony origins and mysterious beauty have clearly retained a strong grip on his imagination. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: Australian Film Institute, Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards, Product Description

A Brave Social Critique

The Proposition, written by songwriter, Nick Cave, uses the conventions of the Western genre to wrestle with ideas of good and evil (somewhat standard in the recent strain of revisionist Westerns) but more interestingly, uses the form to also indict the colonialist mission in Australia. The story is set in motion when a lawman bent on capturing three outlaw brothers makes a deal with the middle of the three - bring back the oldest one or the youngest, who he has in custody, will hang. The lawman, played by Ray Winstone, echoes the film's tagline, when he proclaims emphatically "this land will be civilized." Yet the remainder of the film makes it abundantly clear that what the European settlers have brought to the country is a far cry from civilization.

The contrast between the worlds of the colonialists and the colonized is effectively evoked in a scene where Ray Winstone's character tells his Aboriginal servant to be on his way as he settles on his porch, rifle in hand, waiting for the inevitably brutal attack from the outlaws that will follow. He wishes the Aboriginal man, "Merry Christmas," at which point the latter removes his shoes and socks at the gate of the yard, returns the good wishes with a hint of irony in his voice and walks away barefoot. The camera lingers on the shoes briefly, letting us know that we are meant to see something beyond the surface in this moment. One interpretation is that the shoes are a connection to "civilization" but in this case, a civilization that doesn't fit into the world it has been introduced to. Later another Aboriginal man, who is serving as a tracker for a group of lawmen, calls attention to the barbarism of the Europeans when he comments to one of the lawmen, "strange mob, you whities," as they observe the remaining members of the troop standing around a tree, trying to urinate on each other. Like Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man, which also uses the Western genre to critique the treatment of indigenous people, The Proposition gives a voice to the oppressed and does it in a way that's not merely politically correct.

The Proposition is an incredibly violent yet somehow subtle film. Themes are suggested but (excuse the pun) nothing is black and white. Over 100 minutes the moral struggles of its complex characters are explored and time feels like it has passed too quickly. The film's violence feels essential to the narrative for lending verisimilitude but also for adding urgency to the stakes involved for its characters. Not a scene is wasted. The images are lyrical, the visual style, brisk and the cinematography, breathtaking. The casting and performances are all perfect, with Danny Huston and John Hurt being particularly outstanding.

This is a brilliant film that's been unjustly ignored, but not surprisingly so, considering its underlying critical stance. Rent, buy or borrow it, but make sure you see it.

The DVD extras (interviews with the cast, director and screenwriter) are also excellent, providing valuable insight into the background and themes of the film.

February 3, 2007

What a Guy!

I've seen The Proposition twice now and can honestly say. this is one of the best westerns ever! What a story, can you imagine being served a deal like that. Words really won't give this film the dues it deserves, this is visceral, emotional film making at it's absolute best. The story is uncompromisng, unapologetic, and wrought with realism.

Also of particular interest is the setting, so rarely have we seen the Australian outback in it's early turn of the century form. It was an uncivilized, back woods continent primarily used as a penal colony. John Hillcoat makes us feel every tumbleweed that passes by. You almost feel like you haven't bathed in a month while watching this film. We see how tough life was back then, and how it took it's toll on even decent men. The pain that Guy Pearce carries with him throughout, is so heart felt, that I get a lump in my throat thinking about his situation. Danny Huston is so f@^*in' marvelous, what an actor! This guy exudes confidence and commands respect reminiscent of early De Niro, Pacino, Duvall etc..He creates a monster that is so filled with human conflict, anger and even love, that he instantly humanizes Arthur and shows you the weakness that is at the core of his evil.

This film works on so many levels that it would probably take several more viewings in order to totally absorb how these lives function and the dichotomy of human relationships. A brilliant film, not for sensitive viewers or anyone who likes hollywood style fast-editing. This film moves on it's own pace and does not conform to any set genre, it's pure non-Hollywood entertainment.

Highly recommended! January 13, 2007

Hang on for (to) Dear Life

Coming up with any description for `The Proposition' will be precarious for deterring an audience, and that's a shame. Startlingly brutal, this film takes place in the Outback of Australia during the 1880's, so it really should be called an Eastern, rather than a Western. A revenge story with a vengeance, Captain Morris (Ray Winstone) vows, "I will civilize this land." He's the British equivalent of the partakers of Manifest Destiny and the typical new sheriff, trying to bring law and order in the dry, forsaken land. His iron hand makes the cure seem worse than the lawless contagion.

His obsession is to kill or obtain Arthur Burns. After a huge shoot out, he has Charlie Burns (Guy Pearce) captured. He makes him a proposition. To spare his younger brother, he must find and kill his older brother, Arthur, within nine days, before the arrival of Christmas*. We're never shown what the Burns brothers allegedly did, but, unlike the horror we're presented with for nearly two hours of the movie, it is too horrible to show. (They're accused of raping a pregnant woman.) Capt. Morris does everything to get his man. Besides putting his brother in a desperate situation, he lets a rapist go and kills a native aborigine just to name a couple of moral compromises. Just when we think the Captain is the pit of established barbarism, we see him cry when he is denounced by an even tougher superior who chastises him for his desperate rampage of justice.

The film goes back and forth to all of the major fronts: The Burns' family in their exile, the aborigines, who keep a native tradition of reciprocity for slain tribal members; and the law and order head office. All are victims of terrible violence. Gruesome to the fore, the acts of bottles smashing on heads, toes blown to a stub, public floggings, and stranglings--just to name a few--nearly reinvent violence. Presented with graphic detail, anguished writhing, and blood-curdling screams, 'The Proposition' can hardly be accused of glorifying violence. All but the most perverse will find the whole movie a deterrent that makes one hold on to dear life. Indeed, the dialogue is so beautifully eloquent, we feel like we are often given the modern equivalent of Shakespeare. Amazingly, it never comes across as artificial or out of character, even when they speak poetically about the beauty of nature and the fragility of existence. And it's all done in the spare laconic Western tradition. The characters still retain their gritty determination as well as their rough Aussie and Irish immigrant dialects.** Some of the best, reflective scenes are heard with the echoed whispering of Charlie's innermost thoughts.

`The Proposition' for all its bloodshed is an excellent adventure with enough time to pause and reflect on the beauty and brevity of life and nature when it's at its dearest. Despite all the gore, the violence is hardly a Western arcade. It's not just your typical shoot out at the Queensland Corral. We can almost feel their pain and are presented a tragedy of unrelenting vengeance and violence. Besides excellent tension brought from the acting, the cinematography and the directing are awesome, making us gasp, like watching the cinematography of the Outback sunsets. Inspiring and remarkably well constructed, 'The Proposition' is a must-see for movie buffs.

*Remember that Christmas is just after the summer solstice arrives Down Under, so it is swelteringly hot.
**It could have been "To be or not to be, mate!" but it's not like that. Oddly, it works.
January 9, 2007

The Morally Unclear Western

There are no heroes in this film. Throughout the long history of the Western, the films themselves were mostly set in the unforgiving terrain of the American West, or at the very least, on a comfortable Hollywood sound stage. When one watches "The Proposition" you get the feeling that the actors are suffering just as much as the characters they are portraying in the harsh Australian outback. The producers should receive accolades for filming on location in the outback itself, thus giving the film a gritty realism lacking from other modern westerns. Although set in Australia, the earmarks of the new-western have all been incorporated into the story: 1.) The blending of right and wrong until no one really knows the difference. 2.) The presence of aboriginals in place of the traditional Native Americans 3.) The conflicted protoganist who is torn between doing the `right thing' or the sort of `right thing.' In such movies as "Dances With Wolves" John Dunbar's choice was clear in the end with what path to follow. In this film, we are never really sure what path Charlie Burns will follow, and even in the end, when the apparent conflict has been resolved, we are still not sure.

December 2, 2006

True Grit

The Proposition is an appallingly violent/juicy (delete as applicable) story about an English police chief (Ray Winstone)'s attempts to bring a trio of Irish roughnecks to justice after a brutal slaying. Despite ii being infinitely preferable to 90% of what passes for the Top 50 movies currently availbale in the local video store, there are a few minor niggles. The good sides: the story moves along at a good pace, the script - courtesy of Goth rockstar/novellist Nick Cave - is assuringly competent and 'gothy', the realism is refreshing and tangy (dental hygiene wasn't what it is today); the acting performances - particularly of head hoodlum Arthur Burns and his young sidekick, Samuel - are spot on; the photography is really good and the fly-blown Australian outback makes an excellent setting for the story and indeed, enhances the uncompromising tone of the movie. The music is good too, with focus on moody although one of the leitmotifs, a poem (presumably from the pen of Mr. Cave), which repeats itself like a kind of mantra (something about riders being as dry as a bone) is either brilliant poetry or indecipherable twaddle depending on the extent to which you prepared to suspend your disbelief.
Which brings us to the shortcomings. I thought that both Ray Winstone and Guy Pearce were slightly wooden and over-ponderous in their roles as police chief and bad-guy-with-a-conscience respectively. Whether this is due to any technical limitations as actors or whether the director's work in this area was found lacking is something for the critics to decide. No acting limitations are apparent in John Hurt, however, who makes a superb cameo appearance as the toothpaste-challenged, cod-intellectual bounty hunter. Credit to Emily Watson, too, who does her best to inject a third-dimension into her role as the long-suffering, sexually and emotionally frustrated wife of the police chief. The amount of violence and bad language is jaw-dropping, and makes Reservoir Dogs look like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in comparison. I personally don't mind it, but persons of a sensitive disposition may find it all a bit much.

That said, this is still a highly watchable film, which puts life the Victorian-era Australian outback into new - or too much - perspective.
October 31, 2006

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