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The PropositionDirector: John Hillcoat Cast: Guy Pearce, Emily Watson, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Tom Budge, Danny Huston Studio: First Look First Appeared in The Music Box, May 2006, Volume 13, #5 Written by Tracy M. Rogers
The Proposition, singer-songwriter Nick Cave’s solo debut as a
screenwriter, is not a film for the faint of heart. Set in the lawless
Australian outback of the 1880s, The Proposition is at once a historical
western and a psychological thriller in which innocence is all but non-existent,
and madness and depravity are prevalent. Full of sumptuous scenery and
analytical dialogue, the plot of The Proposition revolves around the
attempts of local authorities to catch infamous bushrangers the Burns brothers,
who have murdered the entirety of the Hopkins family for no better reason than
sheer bloodlust. In desperation, local police captain Morris Stanley (the
sublimely talented Ray Winstone) makes a devil’s bargain with the middle Burns
brother Charlie (Guy Pearce): In order for Charlie to save his beloved younger
brother Mike (Richard Wilson) from the gallows, he has nine days to kill his
older brother and the gang’s leader of mayhem Arthur (the superbly deviant Danny
Huston). The drama that unfolds from Charlie’s acceptance of Stanley’s
proposition is suspenseful and poignant. Not only does it provide insight into
the motivations and weaknesses of the film’s characters, but it also delves into
the shameful treatment of aborigines and prisoners by the British Army during
its tenure as colonial rulers. An eye for an eye, a death for a death was the
British policy, even though their version seems far less just. It seems that
cruelty abounds from every corner, every character. Even the ethereal landscapes
that serve as the film’s backdrop — the surreal yellow fields of the plains and
the burnt sienna of the desert, the electric blues of the daytime sky and the
luscious purples and reds of the desert sunset — seem tainted by the end of the
film. Cave also wrote the score for the movie, and his haunting musical
interludes add to the certainty that all is tainted. In the end, The
Proposition asks many questions, but provides few answers. It is a rare,
thought-provoking movie in an endless sea of "feel-good" flicks. It is a film
that elucidates much about human cruelty, one that is both restless and
questioning, savage and compelling. The Proposition is available on DVD from Amazon.com. For Canadian orders, please Click Here! For UK orders, please Click Here!
The Proposition Soundtrack is available from Amazon.com. For Canadian orders, please Click Here! For UK orders, please Click Here!
Ratings 1 Star: Pitiful
Copyright © 2006 The Music Box
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