I give you something a bit odd, a bit different, but with the same sensibilities we all know and love. I BRING YOU....!!
THE PROPOSITION
Theatrical Trailer:
Australian Trailer:
The Stats:
Director: John Hillcoat
Cast: Guy Pearce, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Emily Watson, and David Wenham
Type: Australian (!!) circa 1800s setting, Art Film meets Spaghetti Western
Supercool Trivia: The writer of the film is musician Nick Cave, who also did the songs for this
Availability: Somewhat Common - Amazon US - Amazon UK - However, Germany and France do not appear to have their own releases. You can also get the Australian Reg 4 DVD.
The Content:
Checklist:
Band Of Outlaws - CHECK!
Unique Historical Backround - CHECK! (Australia during the same time period)
Bloody Gunshot Wounds - CHECK! (boom...headshot!)
Torture Sequence - CHECK! (knife stabbing, 40 whip lashes)
Bleak Walk In The Sandy Desert - CHECK! (sort of)
Makeshift Burial by Rocks - CHECK!
Themes of Justice and Frontier Politics - CHECK!
Ambush By The Law - CHECK!
Gorgeous Nature Flourishes/Expanses - CHECK!
Savages In The Forsaken Lands - CHECK! (Aborigines!)
`70s Exploitation Movie Rape - ALMOST CHECK!
Death by SPEAR!!! - CHECK!
Animal Violence - CHECK! (dead horse)
The Review:
Okay, so, what's a movie set in Australia starring a bunch of British actors got to do with Westerns? I guess we pretty much need to look at the facts and things begin to fall into place.
The Proposition, for those uninformed, is a film about a pair of criminal brothers who are caught by a lawman. One younger, the other a bit older. The older one is informed that the younger one is going to be hanged on Christmas day, nine days later, if the older brother of these two doesn't track down and kill the eldest brother of the family. That's "the proposition" (cue dramatic music). From there, we follow essentially two threads, with some subplots along the way.
There's Charlie Burns (Pearce) as the brother who's been sent to kill his older, more asshole, brother, to save the life of his younger brother. This story piece is very artsy in the sense it's got a lot of moments of reflection, thought, and philosophy. It's fascinating to watch this segment, however, and I found myself always enjoying when we came back to it, even though most often it was just to see good ol' "Chuck" riding on his horse across the harsh Aussie desert. It also is the one that has the most violence, including one of the best headshots in recent years. (2006 had US theaters being graced by some very good ones, including Brick, this, and Miami Vice - dig that brainpan splatters
) So this thread is quite fascinating and neat, what's the other?The other thread follows Captain Stanley (Winstone), a good cop who's trying to bring justice and civilization to this harsh territory. The problem is that he's not plagued by the issues of the criminals, but rather, he understand the brutality of his area better than anyone else does and as soon as he brings the youngest Burns brother to his jail, one accused of raping a well-beloved woman of the area, everyone's crying for whippings, hangings, and any sort of "violent retribution" that can be dished out. Stanley also has to deal with his wife, who is simultanously a pressure and a relief for him. What's awesome about this story thread of the film is seeing a great deal of complexity to the themes and ideas. It shows that there's no easy way out of solving a violent criminal, especially one accused of something as atrocious as rape. Although I loved Guy Pearce's segments, I have to say, Winstone stole the entire show for me.
So obviously, we see two very western concepts so far, but with some added character texture and elements to make the film have a more gripping dramatic pull than the typical pulp spaghetti westerns or the plodding "traditional" stuff of Costner and later Eastwood. Although I'll say the film sometimes gets bogged down here and there, the originality and emotion with which these scenes in the overall are handled give the entire film a feeling of freshness. I've not seen a film like it from this era and I'd love to see another.
On the other western front is the fact that the visual look is pure spaghetti west. At times playing extreme homage to Leone and Corbucci (there's a great Django moment post-rainfall), with the crisp bright yellow/sun-soaked look of many films today, it blends a lot of ideas of old with the technology to create art that we have today. The gritty locations, costumes, and makeup also add a great deal of texture and it's great to see an amazing contrast between the scummy outlaw-looking types and the wealthier upperclassmen. You especially notice this when you cut from Pearce with grease-slicked strands down his face to Winstone with his slick hair combed nicely. You see that extreme of rich/poor that was prevalant in areas of new frontiers. There's also the weaponry, the pistols being a good mixture of stuff you don't often see in American Westerns, but still maintaining the old Winchester.
Speaking of weapons, one thing to also point out is how the violence and action of this film is handled. To say right off the bat - there's not much. I'm gonna be honest, this is has the least, amazingly least, amount of action or gunplay out of all the films I've reviewed so far. There's pretty much one, maybe two gunfights, and some vicious up-close-and-personal gunshot stuff, but nothing too extreme. There is a great deal of violence, as I said, the headshot was amazing. And the whipping is extraordinarily brutal. If you are not prepared for the violence of this film, you will get a surprise, I assure you. My friend from England, who watches the same kind of gory/f'ed up movies I do, was pretty unsettled by this flick. I didn't even flinch, really. =p (not to brag or anything, I would've loved to have been more unsettled)
The thing is, the purpose more of the film is to embrace a vibe of witnessing "Life", as it may have been, in this location and setting. From watching the sunset to the simple treats of a richer life. You see many facets to both the rich and the poor, the outlaw and the lawman, you see good and bad, black and white, all over. There's truth and goodness in most of the individuals, leaving you feeling a strange moral ambiguity which I felt wasn't lived up to as much in the end, unfortunately. But perhaps that is life, that even if it seems complicated, in the end, things get sorted out in their own way. So you see, the movie's more about getting across thematics, not visceral violence.
The only ones who really get it in the bud is the Aborigines, who are protrayed in something of a stereotype "Indian" role, but even then, it's used as a way to try and exemplify the Western archetypes of the genre. It's interesting how close to a western this tried to be, although my dad made the good remark that with its incredibly slow and deliberate and arsty pace, it feels almost like Ingmar Bergman's take on the western, especially with the grim concepts of violence and death and betrayal.
Unfortunately, it's hard to say whether I like the film THAT much. I enjoyed many parts of it and it's one I was looking forward to, but I think watching it tonight, I wasn't in the mood. Unfortunate, but ya know, that's what I get for not going with my gut and watching a Kinji Fukasaku movie instead. >_< I think in time, I will grow to appreciate this film more for its own merits and what it is. It's not what I expected in all the ways, but it's still a brilliant piece of work that, for the western movie fans, is worth trying out.
Pics are pending.
By the way, I'm gonna do the Yojimbo/Fistful Of Dollars/Last Man Standing thing next month.
Sounds like this flick doesn't have enough shoot-outs & bar room brawls fer yours truly! But maybe I should change my nick to JoE-6-PaK or something. 
