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"Have I Told You
The One About The
Irishman?" |
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Directed by John
Hillcoat - Written by
Nick Cave
Cast: Ray Winstone,
Guy Pearce, Danny
Huston, Emily Watson, Richard Wilson
Distributed by First
Look - 2006 - 106mins -
Rated R |
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Richard Propes'
Review
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The best Western in years... |
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It seemed almost
painfully ironic to see "The Proposition", an Australian Western
written by musical poet Nick Cave and directed by John Hillcoat, on
the same day that Desmond Turner was arrested in Indianapolis for his
alleged mass killing of four adults and three children in an apparent
robbery gone awry.
Feeling numbed by the senseless brutality of the killings here in
Indianapolis, the idea of seeing "The Proposition" was unappealing at
the very least. Westerns, by their very nature are prone to scenes of
violence, disrespect, senselessness and the graphic illustration of
how the West was really won.
"The Proposition" is not your standard issue Western. It is dirty and
grimy and gritty and senseless and, in the midst of it all, stunningly
beautiful and poetic and mystical and, yes, even occasionally funny.
"The Proposition" is, without a doubt, the best Western since "Unforgiven"
and, quite possibly, even better than that Oscar-winning film from
Clint Eastwood.
For you see, despite all its grittiness and violence and brutality, "Unforgiven"
is still amazingly accessible to general audiences. The grittiness in
"Unforgiven" is a product of design not nature, and its violence, on
whatever level violence can do so, makes sense.
"The Proposition" doesn't make sense. It doesn't seek to understand or
explain or justify or evoke a response of any type. The grittiness of
"The Proposition" is a product of both the natural brutality of the
Australian Outback and those who first attempted to tame it in the
1880's. The characters we are presented are not painted with broad
strokes of sympathy or hatred or evil. They are presented in their
natural states that vacillate between desperation, denial, compassion
and conviction. Cave's script is written in such a way that it doesn't
matter whether or not you like these characters or identify with
them...what matters is that you seem them the way they really are, a
purpose made more convincing by Cave's exquisitely rich dialogue and
inherently brilliant instincts related to character development and
human relationships.
"The Proposition" begins ever so quietly as we listen to Cave's sparse
score playing softly behind sepia images of aboriginal trappers, then
government troops then, with little fanfare, the bodies of the Hopkins
family lying stately across their beds as if dressed for Sunday
church. Quickly, we learn of the true depravity of this crime by The
Burns Gang, a somewhat motley gang led by three brothers who seem more
united by their hatred of humanity than any familial bonds.
The film opens, really opens, with a shoot-out that results in the
capture of two of the brothers, Charlie (Guy Pearce) and 14-year-old
Mikey (Richard Wilson) by Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone), a lawman
sworn to create a "civilized" outback. Captain Stanley knows, however,
that his real target escaped capture, Arthur Burns (Danny Huston). As
long as Arthur is free, Captain Stanley knows that there will be no
civilized Outback.
The proposition? Stanley agrees to spare the lives of both Charlie and
Mikey if Charlie agrees to track down Arthur and kill him. Stanley
astutely recognizes an ever so slight touch of humanity within Charlie
that will allow him to place protecting the young Mikey over the life
of his senselessly brutal older brother.
With such a basic storyline, it would be easy to dismiss "The
Proposition" as yet another paint-by-numbers Western. Largely due to
Cave's literary clarity, "The Proposition" transcends its basic plot
and, quite literally, explodes on-screen as we watch a hypnotic dance
of desperation and devastation manifest time and time and time again.
In their third collaboration, Hillcoat and Cave have clearly developed
an immense trust of each other's visions. This trust is evident
constantly throughout "The Proposition" in the quietness of certain
moments, the gestures of certain characters, the silence that invades
at the most unexpected times, and the perfectly timed capturing of
cinematic poetry in both sublime sunsets and sickening acts of
violence.
The cast, too, is stunning across the board in what feels like their
innate ability to capture both the spoken and unspoken languages being
communicated.
Ray Winstone again proves himself one of today's best actors, with a
performance that aches and haunts and screams and comforts. Winstone's
Captain Stanley is a man of conviction who is neither sympathetic nor
horrible. He is, in some ways, merely going through the motions of
this life he has chosen for himself and his wife (Emily Watson). He is
both consumed by his work and fiercely devoted to protecting the
genteel, civilized nature of his wife.
Likewise, Emily Watson is absolutely stunning in portraying a woman
whose genteel nature is a mask she chooses to wear. Watson,
practically a master at portraying women of uncommon gentleness with a
simmering underbelly, captures convincingly a woman whose denial
allows her to attempt, at times humorously, a perfect "garden" home in
the far from picturesque Outback. Watson's scenes when she learns the
full details of the Hopkins attack, are painful yet understated and
authentic.
Not to be outdone, Guy Pearce is nearly unrecognizable as the slightly
human Charlie Burns. Pearce adds just a touch of humanity to Charlie,
but it's a touch that avoids sentimentality. It is, in essence, only
enough to add a complexity to Charlie that makes him unpredictable.
Will he truly kill his brother? Will he simply escape and rejoin his
family? Will he find a way to protect Mikey? As portrayed by Pearce,
Charlie is seemingly capable of any of these things and yet we're
never given enough of a glimpse inside his wounded psyche that one can
truly predict the outcome of the events that begin to unfold.
At first, it appears that the character of Mikey is more weakly
developed. As played by Richard Wilson, Mikey is given little to do
beyond being fearful and terrified. Wilson's Mikey is truly a young
boy who seems caught up in a life he truly doesn't comprehend. He is
possibly "slow," and it is clear that Charlie is fiercely devoted to
protecting him. It is his character that comes closest to evoking an
audience response, and it is nearly impossible to not reach the
conclusion that this young boy has truly been victimized by nearly
every human being he encounters from his own family to his captors.
In supporting roles, David Wenham shines as an intrusive superior to
Captain Stanley, while John Hurt offers yet another in a long line of
brilliant performances as bounty hunter Jellon Lamb. In the first
encounter between Jellon and Charlie, the action bounces between
lightly comical and frighteningly intense in a matter of seconds.
Strong supporting performances are also turned in by Tom Budge, David
Gulpilil and Robert Morgan in remarkably developed and convincing
smaller roles.
"The Proposition" was actually filmed in the Outback, and Benoit
Delhomme's cinematography captures the true beauty of this relatively
undeveloped nature while never losing sight of its brutality. The
scenes of violence, while intensely graphic, are never gratuitous.
Again, they feel as if they are simply birthed out of their natural
state.
"The Proposition" received twelve 2005 Australian Film Institute
nominations, including recognition for Pearce, Winstone, Hurt and
Hillcoat. The film captured four awards for its excellent costuming,
score, cinematography and production design. Much like with the Oscars
this year, the AFI's had two strong contenders in this film and the
Best Feature winning "Look Both Ways," another brilliant film.
"The Proposition" isn't the type of film you will necessarily love.
It's dirty and ugly and hateful and real. It was, in fact, the perfect
film for me to see on a day when Indianapolis was shaken to its core
by utterly senseless acts against humanity. Violence doesn't make
sense, and it's not glossy and stylish and clean like many films would
like us to believe.
No, violence is often borne out of who we really are. Many times,
violence is simply an inherently interwoven part of who we are. It is
the way we relate, the way we serve, the way we react and the way we
claim to love.
"The Proposition" may be one of the most realistic portrayals of
how the West was really won, or it may simply be absolute proof that
after all these years the West has never really been won. Either way,
"The Proposition" is a film you simply will not forget. |
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© Written by Richard Propes -
Email Me! |
TC Candler's Comment
There are
pretty westerns and there are gritty westerns.
The former rarely shows an ounce of blood. The
latter dishes more of it than most slasher pics.
The former has characters than appear to shower
on a daily basis. The latter populates the
screen with pungent unshaven drunkards. The
former usually divides the players into good
guys and bad guys. The latter employs a moral
gray area where everyone seems to be on the
wrong side of the law.
"The Proposition" falls, most definitively,
under the latter category. There is nothing
pretty about this western at all. In fact, it
almost hammers the gritty point home so
intensely that it becomes distracting.
The story is a relatively simple one... a
corrupt Aussie lawman blackmails one brother to
hunt down another brother in the stark and
roasting outback. He forces the issue by
imprisoning the youngest of the three brothers,
threatening him with execution.
The cast is very solid... Guy Pearce, Ray
Winstone, Emily Watson and others all commit to
the brutally raw mood of the film. The story is
interesting and the performances are fine -- it
is the direction that lets the film down.
I just got so tired of being hit over the head
with the gritty stick. Okay, okay, okay -- they
drink whisky out of dirty flasks like it is
water; they have flies crawling over the open
wounds in their faces; their bodily stank is so
hideous that it virtually lifts off the screen;
the sun is so relentless that scorpions are
melting; the dust is so pervasive that most
horizons look more smoggy than Los Angeles'
downtown skyline.
I suppose that is the point in some regards...
this film is intended to be raw and visceral.
However, I felt that it almost became the sole
point. It was to the detriment of the actual
plot. The "grit" became the film... it
overwhelmed everything. I just thought it
overpowered everything else to such a degree
that it seemed like an attractive woman, with a
severe toe-fungus problem, wearing open-toed
sandals. I just couldn't focus on the pretty
face or the interesting personality because she
kept asking me to rub her hideous feet.
Jacob Hall's
Comment
“The
Proposition” is one of the best films of 2006.
This is easily the best western since Clint
Eastwood’s “Unforgiven” and it may even top
that. I’m still trying to recover from it…it’s
like a punch right in the stomach. Definite
points of interest: Guy Pearce, turning in yet
another great performance, John Hillcoat’s
surrealistic and mind-screwing direction and
Nick Cave’s brilliant script. I was reminded of
one of my favorite films, “The Good, The Bad and
The Ugly.” This is a movie that manages to be
completely real whilst somehow staying unreal. A
damn fine accomplishment.
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