The Proposition (2005)
Strong violence, coarse language
Rural Australia in the late nineteenth century: Capt. Stanley and his men capture two of the four Burns brothers, Charlie and Mike. Their gang is held responsible for attacking the Hopkins farm, raping pregnant Mrs. Hopkins and murdering the whole family. Arthur Burns, the eldest brother and the gang's mastermind, remains at large and has retreated to a mountain hideout. Capt. Stanley's proposition to Charlie is to gain pardon and - more importantly - save his beloved younger brother Mike from the gallows by finding and killing Arthur within nine days.
| Status: | QuickPick |
|---|---|
| Run time: | 100mins |
| Origin: | AUSTRALIA |
| Aspect Ratio: | 16:9 |
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Member Reviews (76)
76 Member
Reviews
says
I loved this movie! It's a great story written by one of Australia's finest artists, Nick Cave. Well acted and directed with beautiful landscapes that illustrate the terrifying emptiness of 19th Century Australia.
Oh, and if you're expecting Australian accents you ought to have concentrated more in you primary school history lessons!
Jules
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Wow this movie is raw and brutal. This movie was fascinating, the story the premise of The Proposition and the consequences and outcomes of such. This is a well constructed period piece set in the outback of some forsaken area of Australia with totally unlikeable characters who you certainly would not want to meet even the Policemen. It is an interesting look at times gone by and the lawlessness of the wild and untamed land and the class of English culture and laws against a barren Australian landscape.
Lynda dg
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Not a bad story line. It was good to see a movie set in Australia's early history and hear australian accents. Give all the actors credit where it is due.
GB
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Good Aussie Movie
Barker Lesely
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Dull and boring. Main actors spoke too quietly. Movie did not flow seemed stilted and drawn out. Did not bother to watch all of it.
gra
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hey mars. if u you dont understand somethin, maybe u should have a good ol think b4 u write a review
mars
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very hard to follow. a weird movie.
no stars
Barbara
says
A bloody battle in the outback which was a little hard to follow at times.
Danuta
says
An outstanding and interesting thought provoking Australian Film about Bushrangers. Very graphic brutality, however, there was a story to tell and it was told by wonderful cinematography, acting and by Nick Cave's wonderful direction.
It's realy good to see an Australian Film that has something to offer and isn't just a copy of American genres made in Australia. I recommend it if your interested in early Australiana.
Meggles
says
The amount of graphic violence seemed unnecessary. There was a haunting feel to the movie against a backdrop of desolate Australia. Just too much blood and guts for comfortable viewing.
Gerd
says
It looks Australian (the stark country around Winton), but doesn't feel Australian. The accents put on by the actors are mostly British/Irish and are hard to understand at times. The movie is described as a "Western", and perhaps being not that familiar with nor a fan of that genre, this viewer was confused for most of the time about what was going on.
Robert I.
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A top movie. Don't miss it.
Norma T.
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Confronting and raw, this is a top line drama. Guy Pearce is memorable as the haunted, Charlie.
Heide E.
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A very well acted and atmospheric Australian film. Too violent for my liking, though it was refreshing to note that violence does not always breed violence in return.
Elspeth N.
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This is a really excellent movie. The camera work is fantastic, the casting perfect, the story is a wonderful almost biblical story of morals, temptation and compromise.
Phillip S.
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The treatment recived by our indiginous ancestors by the hands of our family of settlers is raw in this film. The outback was not a place for the faint hearted and nick cave and john hallicott bring our australian past to live with a mind numbing film that leaves a lasting impression on anyone who is game to go along for the ride. Underrated and overlooked and will be classed as one of or best in years to come. Well done Nick, sing on brother.
Karen B.
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A harrowing believable tale of life at the edge of civilisation when justice was local and punishment brutal. Guy Pearce is such a long way from Ramsay Street now - truly excellent with great support from Watson, Winstone and Wenham.
Janet
says
This is a classy film. Yes it is brutal and violent, but then this was the era - early settlement in Australia - the greed of the whites ....
But this film is brilliantly filmed, quite surreal and arty, great acting and great actors. Usually I detest music in films as it tends to overwhelm, but here the music is subtle and moulds cleverly throughout.
Was pleasantly surprised and excited at such a great first effort by the director and Nick Cave. I suspect that this film will be more appreciated by Europeans than Australians.
Nigel W.
says
Although hovering on the pretentious this outback western manages to avoid becoming overly mythic. Reminded me of Apocalypse Now set in the desert. The dialogue slips into oddly Dickensian babble at times, but this mitigated by the sheer beauty of the cinematography and the momentum of story. Well worth a look.
Chris J.
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I found the violence over the top and slightly unnecessary. The cinematography was great and it was an interesting script that was overshadowed by the bloodlust.
Bridget O.
says
Seen it before, but had to keep watching it - a fascinating story of human nature with boils & all - life was tough in early Australia & the criminals were even tougher
Godot
says
Not pretty viewing but I'd guess quite an accurate semblance to the beleagured colonial influence in this country. Well crafted and worth a watch for another slant on this topic which remains relevant due to the ashamedly peristent racial attitudes of many europeans. Screenplay by Nick Cave. Anything with this man's hand in it is credible. I would personally have used some different actors as this and the direction let it down a little. Still it remains a film worth seeing
Janet W.
says
I'm not into films with a lot of gratuitous violence. This film was a story about some extremely violent outlaws so I feel the violence was justifiedl. Life was indeed tough for those early settlers. How lucky we Aussie's are that we no longer have to live that way. A well made and acted film. Always pleased to see a good Australian film.
EF
says
A well told story with some solid acting. Has quite a dark feel to it and a few graphically violent scenes, but you shouldn't let that discourage you.
Patricia A.
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Very Good but violent. I was blown away by Guy Pearce, and of course John Hurt was great as always.
Helen F.
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interesting and beautiful
Michael C.
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Graham S.
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Great photography, great acting but the fundamentals of telling a story well, just didn't make it.
silverandsue
says
A rather pointless and violent film. It starts at point 'A', goes around in a big circle and finishes back at point'A' without really achieving anything. Leaves you wondering why you bothered.
Lara M.
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Wayne W.
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You'd have to be a serious fan of the medium to bother with this. Arty and I think overdone in many ways. Perhaps interesting to some as an indication of the current track of OZ cinema. Hopefully a dead end.
Ian G.
says
Great movie, beautiful scenery & cinematography. Level of violence may not be for the squeamish. Life sure was tough in the "old days".
Bo
says
An interesting insight into lives of early settlers. Not a lighthearted movie, though.
Rowan M.
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Marius V.
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Brett G.
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Bit violent
garrett
says
Could not wait to see this movie after reading thepress. Nick Cave
does not disappoint.
The actors do a good job - the scenery is both beautiful and brutal -
I could almost feel the heat and dust and blowflies.
The action scenes are quite brutal as are the characters - but I believe life would have been like that in those times.
A bit more padding out as to the reasons of the brothers becoming outlaws may have given us some reason to take their sides - in the end they appeared to have it coming.
However,it still impressed!
Shaun O.
says
Fantastic & tense thriller - what an Australian epic film - brillient acting by all - loved every minute
Geoff B.
says
I was disappointed. Yes, I agree, it looked great and sounded great and the acting was impressive, but that doesn't make up for lack of plot and character depth. And, as for authentic portrayal of an 'Aussie Western', perhaps Nick Cave was an impressionable 15 year old who watched Mad Dog Morgan alongside me in the cinema in the 70's. That 'authenticity' isn't new for Australian cinema. In the end, I watched this and said, "So what ?".
Terence B.
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Terence B.
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Graham S.
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Judith P.
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Lynne N.
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Extremely and shockingly violent. I can't believe this was rated MA.
Rhonda B.
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Clive G.
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Too much heavy violence spoilt a technically successful period piece, which would have otherwise scored 4 stars
Alex M.
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Glenda D.
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Di H.
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Peter B.
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On the plus side it shows an Australia not often seen on cinema. In the early days of the colony the place was as wild as any American wild west. These were really hard times in the outback. The sense of isolation is overwhelming. It is all well conveyed in this film.
On the minus side, the violence shown was necessary only to make an impact in the cinema but does not add to the narrative and only detracts from the film.
Brian G.
says
Encouraged by a friend who had rated this movie highly, I viewed "The Proposition" with some interest. However,I was apalled at the level of violence displayed, however accurate to the story. The movie repels me, despite the excellent photography and acting!
Spaulding
says
movieguy
says
One of the worst films I have ever seem! A travesty of the western genre. I could only watch 40 minutes because dialogue was too hard to understand, the acting too bad and story too convoluted to waste any more time on it. I'm now badly in need of a dose of John Ford or Sergio Leone to get me over this pseudo western Dodo. Avoid it! 'Movieguy'
tiborg
says
It is a very interesting,well written,well directed movie. It shows the dismal living conditions, the loneliness and the basic behaviour of the 19.century settlers.The only drawback of the movie is the sound,wich is woefull,hardly understanable.(Not only the mostly wispered dialogues,but also the bad irish/english accents.)Luckily there is english subtitle available,so I suggest avail yourself to it,as otherwise it is an enjoyable experience.
Geoffrey W.
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David R.
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Don H.
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quibid
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The only reason for the rating I gave is because I felt the actors actually totally carried the film. Otherwise the directing and editing crew need to seriously have a good look at what they produced and try again. The story line was somewhat average but could have been delivered with far better result. The actors efforts were cheated to a good degree.
Crowtrapper
says
Slow, confused, violent. I don't think the makers of this film had any idea what they were trying to convey. For a drama to succeed, the viewer must have some sympathy for one or more of the characters - and that is not the case here. Some good actors wasted in silly roles.
Peter L.
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Karen M.
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Dark, disturbing and violent, with a Shakespearean script and haunting score, both by Nick Cave, and beautiful cinematography.
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William S.
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filmasart
says
Alive with colour which explores the outback harshness and its beauty. The expanse of the bush swallows up all through the bromide tones of the desert. The story reflects realism, characters with biting emotion and cinematography.
Nathan C.
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Audrey C.
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Jeff T.
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Charles T.
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SSR
says
Wondeful antidote to the usual Hollywood fare. Nick Cave's spartan script tells this "Aussie western' as it would be, rather than how it would be in the overheated imagination of some studio executives. Great performances all round, led by Guy Pierce and Ray Winstone. Extremely violent, so perhaps not one for the whole family.
SSR
says
Wondeful antidote to the usual Hollywood fare. Nick Cave's spartan script tells this "Aussie western' as it would be, rather than how it would be in the overheated imagination of some studio executives. Great performances all round, led by Guy Pierce and Brits Ray Winstone and Emily Watson. Extremely violent, so perhaps not one for the whole family.
Sheryl
says
Thought provoking and disturbing. I watched this twice and it just got better. Fabulous script and beautiful camera work, pacy action. Be prepared for extreme violence and shocking racism.
At the same time, very tender scenes between a man and his wife who find themselves in a savage and foreign environment.
Makes you wonder about the inhumane and barbaric behaviour of our predecessors.
Highly recommended.
Carrie M.
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Harry B.
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absolutely FANTASTC well done
a must see
Marg O.
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russell1981
says
Louise Keller of Urban Cinefile calls this ?the film "Ned Kelly" should have been?. Without doubt, it?s the most brilliant bushranger film ever made, and is one of the greatest westerns of all time. Hillcoat and Cave, who had previously combined for the confronting "Ghosts?of the Civil Dead" eighteen years previously, have created a violent cinematic masterpiece, depicting the horror, the brutality, the hypocrisy of colonial-era Australia.