The Proposition (2006)
Dir. John Hillcoat
Starring: Guy Pearce, Ray Winstone, Emily Watson, Danny
Huston, John Hurt
Guy Pearce is Charlie Burns, and member of a gang that is
captured and then released by Captain Stanley (Ray Winston), who wants Charlie
to kill his older brother Arthur Burns (Danny Huston) in order to save the life
of his younger brother, as part of Stanley’s quest to civilize Austrailia.
This movie
is bleak, mean, and doesn’t hold anything back in terms of brutality. But at
the same time something about the film makes it hard to look away when bad
things are happening on screen. A lot of that is due to some of the performances
in the film. Guy Pearce plays Charlie as a damaged man, forced to do something
awful to one brother to save another. Danny Huston’s Arthur seems to have two
sides, one that is calm focus and poetic speeches, and another of feral rage
that causes the Aborigines to claim that he is like a dog. But the standout is
Ray Winstone as Captain Stanley. He surprises in the role, constantly pulling
back layers to the character that manage to cause the viewer to eventually
sympathize with him. His quest to civilize the outback is a futile one, but his
obsession with gives him an Ahab like quality, which is nicely contrasted with
the more quiet scenes he shares with Emily Watson, where he gets to show a more
softer side and reveal more about the character.
The movie
is beautifully shot, showing the deserts of Australia to be gorgeous but
dangerous landscape. And the film has got an interesting script, from rocker Nick
Cave delivers a great story full of interesting characters, and after reading
about his crazy treatment for the proposed Gladiator sequel, it makes me wish
that he was doing more scripting work.
This is
not a movie for everyone. It’s stark and bleak in terms of story and violence,
but at the same time it is something that I couldn’t turn away from. It is a
very watchable movie about bad people doing bad things, and if you can stand
the misery, it’s a very rewarding movie.
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