Proposition, The (2005)
Crime | Drama | Western

The Proposition is a visually stunning tale of loyalty, betrayal and retribution set on the frontier of 1880's Australia.

In the harsh, unforgiving landscape of the Outback, Charlie Burns is presented with an impossible proposition by local law enforcer Captain Stanley; the only way to save his younger brother Mikey from the gallows is to track down and kill Arthur, his psychotic older brother.

Meanwhile, Captain Stanley has other problems to contend with. Having given up their comfortable life, he is desperate to shield his innocent wife Martha from the brutalities of their new surroundings. He also faces mounting pressure from renegade natives and his superior Eden Fletcher to bring order to the region.

An uneasy sense of foreboding grows as events close in and each character faces a punishing moral dilemma that leads to a murderous climax.

A real treat of a Western - gritty, bloody, unjust & riddled with flies. An apocalyptic glimpse of some hard family lessons from Nick Cave. Brilliant performances all round thanks to Ray Winstone, Emily Watson & Guy Pearce in particular. Visually stunning due to the location (anyone with the ability to remove a lens cap or activate a camera would capture something beautiful in that wonderful country Australia! But these scenes just envelope you and burn into your brain - in a good way). Tempting to add more to this scant comment box but it might just take something away from your viewing pleasure. And that would be a travesty because this is definitely a film to go in "fresh" to. Like Cain & Abel (with an extra brother...).


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