09/21/06 The Proposition

The Proposition (2005), directed by John Hillcoat

watched solo; DVD rental (Netflix) @ home

The only thing that "Battleship Potemkin" did not have as a brilliant film, was feature-length status (at least according to the Challenge rules). Yes, incredibly it fell around 30 seconds shy of the required length of film...so to play it safe, I searched for another dramatized tale of violence to finish off the evening. This one being far less historically meaningful, and taking place in a land very far from the country in the previous film today. Plus, I had heard through the grapevine about this particular film from the Outback being written by notoriously deep-scratchy voiced Nick Cave...which I thought was a bit interesting, as he seems like a weird dude. And how can I say enough about underrated actor Guy Pearce who plays in very slick & acclaimed films ("Memento," "Ravenous," and "L.A. Confidential" to name a few)?! He's really pretty good, and definitely carries this movie even through its slumping nature towards the end. With a recognizable storyline of revenge by the central hero, the bleak wasteland that is the Australian Outback in the late nineteenth-century is brought to violent life here by murderous gangs and gun-slinging. Pearce plays outlaw Charlie Burns, who upon his capture by the grizzled Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone), a man forced to take sides in a battle of sibling rivalry and moral/intestinal fortitude. Capt. Stanley knows he has Charlie where he wants him by taking his youngest simpleton brother Mike prisoner, charging him with counts of rape and murder...and threatening to hang him at the gallows if Charlie does not comply. Compliance comes in the form of Stanley's unique and deadly proposition to Charlie...bring in his eldest and most ruthless brother in the gang, Arthur, to gain pardon on his and brother Mike's souls. This doesn't sit too well with cunning Charlie, but caught between a rock & a hard place, he leads on as if he is doing what he's asked. Charlie sets out on a quest to find, and put a stop to his evil brother Arthur's pillaging, but still keep his family's checkered past from destroying its future. The moral ambiguity that plays out in all the men's heads doesn't stop with the outlaws, but spills over into the other side of the law as Capt. Stanley's tactics to capture a criminal suggest inhumane and devious plots. Supporting roles come in the form of Stanley's genteel wife (Emily Watson), psychopath Jellon Lamb (John Hurt), and Aboriginal tracker Jacko (David Gulpilil...who must be the only consistently solid Aboriginal actor used in Hollywood, as he's been reviewed recently in "Mad Dog Morgan" and the aforementioned classic "Crocodile Dundee"). It is obvious that screenwriter Cave is much better suited sticking with the songwriting that is evident even in the movie's soundtrack...as the story does tend to wander off into the sunset early on...as the actual end of the film action does later on. It's a very good effort by all, and a bewitching retro adventure into old Australia westerns.

4 out of 5 stars