Leofwine_draca This is a modern-day western which shocks the viewer with its heady doses of on screen violence and enthrals the audience with a simple, effective plot line. Essentially, the story involves three brothers and the lawman trying to bring them to justice; it sounds straightforward on the page, but Nick Cave's screenplay works hard to establish characters and the result is a film with fully three-dimensional people. It's hard to find anything to criticise about this production; everything, from the technical qualities to the acting, ranges from the above-average to the excellent. There's a truly haunting soundtrack which accompanies the excellent cinematography, showing the harshness of the Australian outback, and the eerie, desolate atmosphere is second to none.The violence in the film is brutal and shocking, coming in short, unexpected bursts. It's also original, with little in the way of stand-offs and shoot-outs. This is a film where people are painted in shades of grey and everybody has to face the repercussions of their own actions. Ray Winstone gives the standout performance as the violent lawman who kicks the plot off; he seems to be a villain, but the film soon reveals his humanity as well, and he steals every scene with his powerful performance that's full of emotion. Guy Pearce is the nominal hero, and he's far from attractive: lean, almost half-hearted, and hairy and dirty, his is the iconic man-with-no-name type role. The movie has fun showing his character, keeping the audience guessing as to his true intentions, and his actions at the end are great – this film ends on a real high with a fitting climax that just works and works. Emily Watson is also very good and moving as Winstone's put-upon wife.Of the rest of the supporting players, Danny Huston excels in his small role as the violent elder brother; John Hurt has fun hamming it up in a cameo appearance as a bounty hunter, and David Wenham plays snivelling evil as a moustachioed pencil-pusher. Essentially this film stands as a series of iconic images and set-pieces, some of which are burnt into my mind even now: the aborigine's head exploding against the skyline, the brutality of the climax; the whipping scene, which is much less gory but somehow makes more of an impact than the one in THE PASSION OF THE Christ. Altogether this is a stylish, excellently-made modern-day western with plenty of reasons to be watched.

WakenPayne I haven't really been enjoying Australian movies. I find them to be too much of the same old same old (and in some cases not done well). I watched Rabbit Proof Fence some time ago and I enjoyed it. After some digging I found this, based on the premise it was enough for me to take a look.The plot is that Charlie and Mikey Burns are outlaws who are arrested. Captain Stanley offers Charlie a proposition, to kill his older brother Arthur in 10 days, or Mikey gets hanged.Now the acting is actually pretty average. I don't really like Guy Pearce as an actor and that's the same to Danny Huston. I did enjoy Ray Winstone's performance as well as John Hurt. Aside from that not many of the performances were memorable.I also very much enjoyed the visual quality of this movie. The Australian Outback does look wonderful in this movie and it is a visual treat to the eyes.So if you want to watch an Australian movie that is very grim in tone then this one is for you. If you also are a fan of Westerns then this is also for you. It is well directed and well written. It is worth watching but only to those who either want to see an Australian movie in a different tone or fans of Westerns.

Rob_Taylor Whilst by no means a terrible movie, The Proposition adds nothing to an already done-to-death genre, namely Westerns.The plot is thin and could have made an acceptable TV episode, but instead its spun out into a movie with the addition of pointless travelogue songs and the occasional (not occasional enough!) bouts of philosophy and drivel spouted by some of the characters.The backstory to the characters is almost non-existent. We are told they are a band of ruthless outlaws and degenerates and their crimes are hinted at, but never shown. This is at odds with the rest of the movie, which gleefully shows the effects of violence with gusto.None of the characters are particularly likable, which leads the viewer to not really care one way or the other whether they live or die. And, when you don't care about the characters, it's hard to care about the movie as a whole.The Proposition is slow, uneven and filled with well...filler. At the end, I was glad it was finished so that I could go and get on with something more interesting and rewarding.SUMMARY: Tedious and unsatisfying. Watch Unforgiven, or Deadwood for more visceral and intelligent Western drama. This one is really not worth the effort.

mformoviesandmore The Aussies have made some great movies. One with a seemingly simple plot and few actors would be The Interview.This movie has a simple plot, few actors, and the great outback as a backdrop. And for me, that's all it has.Slow. Predictable. Revenge movie.Guy Pearce couldn't save this one. Ray Winstone is seldom very good. The others were adequate, but not memorable.The script had nothing to offer.The storytelling was basic, and jumped a few times.I wanted to at least give it six, but couldn't.