The Proposition (2005)

The Western. A genre of film featuring an uncompromising land in hard times with even harder people. From the stylized Spaghetti Western to the John Ford classics, the Wild West has seen its share of heroes, anti-heroes, and villains, but I'm not sure if any of them could have lasted long in Australia in the late 1800s. Director John Hillcoat paints Australia as a dead, fly infested world where the people are ugly and rotten with a terrain that is as haunting and beautiful as it is vast and empty. The story follows two main characters, the ruthless and haggard Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone) and the outlaw Charlie Burns (almost unrecognizably played by Guy Pierce). The film opens with a gun fight in a whorehouse that leads to the capture of Charlie and his younger brother Mike (Richard Wilson), both of whom have deserted the notorious Burns Gang, whose most recent crime includes the murder and rape of a pregnant mother and her whole family. Captain Stanley has become desperate to "civilize" the land by any means necessary. Under the belief that Charlie and Mike weren't responsible for this particular crime, he presents Charlie with a proposition (or the plot of the film): By Christmas he must kill his older brother Arthur (Danny Huston). In return he and his little brother Mike will not only be set free, but pardoned. Everything that follows is in direct response to this deal. The world depicted in this film is the dirtiest and grittiest Western setting in almost any film. The people are covered in dirt and sweat, there is an infestation of flies, and the only thing that surpasses the grime is blood. The filth only gets worse as the characters participate in violence. During the scene where Mike Burns is flogged as ordered by Eden Fletcher (played as a perfect weasel by David Whenhem), the crowd's reactions are shown as the flogging drags out. There are shots of their backs, only to show off the dark spots of their sweat that are completely covered in flies. The depiction of the way aborigines were treated is often graphic and there is rarely a moment that doesn't seem tainted by the land and the time.

The people of this era had to be tough and cruel in order to survive, something that Captain Stanley is quickly learning. In order to bring law and order to the country, he has to be worse than any of the criminals it has to offer. Ray Winestone does a terrific job capturing the internal struggle of a man trying to be more than what he is. The scenes of him at home with his wife (Emily Watson) show the toll that the stress and the weight of his burden have had on him both physically and mentally. Guy Pierce is believable as Charlie, the only member of the Burns Gang who ever had anything resembling a conscience. The majority of his performance is quiet as he is often alone, but there is a silent intensity to his interactions with other characters. Almost overshadowing every performance in the film however, is that of Danny Huston. He doesn't appear until about halfway through the film, and the build up is spectacular. He is described as a monster, an abomination, a demonic dog-creature, you name it. His reputation promises him to be nothing short of the devil incarnate. When you meet him for the first time though, something doesn't add up. He seems educated and friendly, often barely speaking above a whisper. He speaks of love and family as the key to enlightenment and truly sees Australia as a beautiful country. From his point of view on a cliff high above the land, the sun rises and sets in a plethora of red and orange adding weight to his words. It is difficult to associate him with is deeds. That is until you see him in action. Then it becomes too clear the kind of man he is inside. There is a great scene where he and two of his gang are prepared to ride into town where they plan to kill a lot of people and one of his gang asks him what a misanthrope is. After defining it, the gang member then asks if they are misanthropes. With a laugh, Arthur responds: "Good lord no. We're a family!" The score by Nick Cave (who also wrote the screenplay) and Warren Ellis is surreal and dreamlike featuring a recurring poem throughout most of the film. It establishes a tone that suits the desolate countryside that the characters travel through. The Proposition offers a distinctly uncompromising view of the western and sets it in a place that makes the American West seem almost mild by comparison. Though not always easy to sit through, it is film that deserves more attention.