The Proposition

R

2005

1 hr. 44 min.

Drama

Action

Western

List

85%

130 Reviews

Tomatometer

85%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

In 1880s Australia, a lawman (Ray Winstone) offers renegade Charlie Burns (Guy Pearce) a difficult choice. In order to save his younger brother from the gallows, Charlie must hunt down and kill his older brother (Danny Huston), who is wanted for rape and murder. Venturing into one of the Outback's most inhospitable regions, Charlie faces a terrible moral dilemma that can end only in violence.

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Critics Consensus

Brutal, unflinching, and violent, but thought-provoking and with excellent performances, this Australian western is the one of the best examples of the genre to come along in recent times.

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Elvis D

Desde Australia llega este western cuyo guion fue escrito por el famoso músico Nick Cave y además, el mismo Cave estuvo a cargo de la banda sonora. The Propoition no es una película al nivel de Hollywood, pero es un western bastante decente con un buen elenco y una historia brutal. La película empieza sin dejar bien en claro de que va la historia, eso después se va entendiendo a la mitad. Lo que tenemos aquí es una intrigante historia de un bandido que debe cazar a su hermano mayor para salvar la vida de su hermano menor y para poder pagar por el crimen que se ha cometido hacia una mujer. El concepto es bastante atrapante y además plasma lo que era el salvaje oeste en ese entonces. El hermano menor Mike Burns que yace tras las rejas se convierte en un chivo expiatorio para el pueblo, el capitán Stanley tiene un buen plan que luego es cuestionado y eso lo pone bajo presión emocional. El bandido Charlie Burns tiene este conflicto de si debe traicionar a su hermano mayor para salvar a su hermano menor a quien quiere bastante. Esta película tiene todo lo necesario para ser un estupendo western. Los actores Guy Pearce, Ray Winstone y Emily Watson son lo mejor del elenco. La película además tiene escenas de violencia muy impactantes. Lo único que falla en esta película es el ritmo tedioso que tiene y algunas situaciones poco claras que se sienten incoherentes. De haberse corregido esos detalles, la película hubiera quedado fantástica. Así que al final, The Proposition uno de los pocos westerns modernos que vale la pena ver por curiosidad. Mi calificación final para esta película es un 7/10.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/18/24

Full Review

Dave S

If you want to see a movie that gives you a view of "hell", full of dour people who seem to have no reason for existence, other than a hardscrabble desire to stay alive at the expense of others, then this is it. Good/great performances by Ray W and Guy P, but unrelenting violence and a despairing view of humanity are negatives.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/08/24

Full Review

Justin M

COULDN’T STOP WATCHING IT. SIMPLY ……FUN TO WATCH AND NEVER KNOWING WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/12/24

Full Review

Gareth v

A classic. Nick Cave teams up with long time collaborator John Hillcoat to produce one of the best westerns seen in many a year. Brutal and uncompromising, this movie will stay with you long after you see it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/16/23

Full Review

Anthony F

Top 20 western for me . Guy is amazing in this film

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/13/23

Full Review

red t

It was memorable and stylish with a lot of raw brutality and grittiness but also severely lacked a cohesive narrative with its focus on characters and backstory. The acting is phenomenal in this all around along with wonderfully done cinematography. The music is sparse and well used as also. The main problem comes from the fact that the film jumps around from Charlies quest to hunt down his brother back to the Captain and his wife than back to characters Charlies encounters along the way and while there well done scenes on their own they don't fit a cohesive narrative that flows. It works just enough where I get what is happening but not necessarily the motivations of these characters. Also the constant umping back and forth throughout makes it hard to stay focused and build tension because the Captains story is significantly slower than Charlies. though the pacing is ok it is a significant letdown given the quality of the acting and production value which is extremely well executed. This should've stay focused on Charlie and his development/backstory with his brothers and would've worked significantly better. Overall it was a decent film that did more right than wrong but I couldn't help but feel disappointed that the elements didn't come together well. I would say anyone who is a hardcore western fan or Guy Pearce fan should give this a try.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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John Hillcoat

Director

Guy Pearce

Charlie Burns

Ray Winstone

Capt. Stanley

Emily Watson

Martha Stanley

Danny Huston

Arthur Burns

John Hurt

Jellon Lamb

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Trailer Bulletin: The Proposition

Interview: Guy Pearce and John Hillcoat

Guy Pearce and John Hillcoat Discuss "The Proposition"

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J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Directed by John Hillcoat, this Aussie feature perfectly re-creates the charbroiled landscapes and cruel psychodrama of the old Sergio Leone westerns...

Jul 14, 2022

Full Review

Brian Tallerico

UGO

Any movie that can cling to your memory with as much brutal power as this fantastic film is unquestionably a proposition worth taking.

Mar 24, 2007

Full Review

Ben Walters

Time Out

A beautifully shot tracker's western that brings the Fordian poles of garden and desert to bear on the bushrangers' Outback, this is also a revenge drama of substantial horror.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Alistair Lawrence

Common Sense Media

The movie's sunburned and anarchic setting creates a memorable atmosphere that sticks to the screen as much as it does its leads' matted hair and filthy clothes.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 11, 2023

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

May be one of the most realistic portrayals of how the West was really won.

Rated: 3.5/4.0

Sep 20, 2020

Full Review

Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

I know by heart the revisionism of this western. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 6/10

Jul 24, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

In 1880s Australia, a lawman (Ray Winstone) offers renegade Charlie Burns (Guy Pearce) a difficult choice. In order to save his younger brother from the gallows, Charlie must hunt down and kill his older brother (Danny Huston), who is wanted for rape and murder. Venturing into one of the Outback's most inhospitable regions, Charlie faces a terrible moral dilemma that can end only in violence.

Director: John Hillcoat
Executive Producer: Sara Giles, Michael Hamlyn, Chris Auty, James Atherton
Screenwriter: Nick Cave
Production Co: Autonomouse, Surefire Films LLC, Jackie O Productions
Rating: R (Strong Grisly Violence|Language)
Genre: Drama, Action, Western
Original Language: English
Rerelease Date (Theaters): May 5, 2006
Release Date (Streaming): May 23, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.9M
Sound Mix: Dolby

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