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THE PROPOSITION

 ABOUT THE MOVIE

Genre: Drama
Starring: Guy Pearce, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, John Hurt, David Wenham, Emily Watson
Director: John Hillcoat
Rating: M18 (Violence)
Year Made: 2005

 

 


 SPECIAL FEATURES

- Making of
- Trailers

 


 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Languages: English
Subtitles: English/Spanish/Chinese
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Widescreen
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Running Time: 1 hr 44 mins
Region Code: 3
Distributor: Origin Entertainment

 

 

SYNOPSIS:   

In 1880s Australia, outlaw Charlie Burns (Guy Pearce) is given an impossible proposition by lawman Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone) - hunt down and kill his loony older brother Arthur (Danny Huston), or see younger sibling Mike (Richard Wilson) swing. But Stanley's superior (David Wenham) and wife (Emily Watson) have other ideas...

MOVIE REVIEW

Something caught our eyes during the opening credits of the 2005 film: "Members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are advised that this film contains images which may be offensive to indigenous people. It
includes historical photographs of people now deceased."

We then knew that this production from Down Under wouldn’t be a comfortable watch.

John Hillcoat directs a reliable cast which includes Guy Pearce (Memento, The Hard Word), Ray Winstone (Cold Mountain, The Departed), David Wenham (Lord of the Rings, Van Helsing) and Emily Watson (Red Dragon, Miss Potter) in a film that brings viewers back to late 19th century Australia where an outlaw gang leader is at large for committing a cruel murder. His second brother is given the proposition to hunt him down in order to save their youngest brother from being hung.

The harsh Australian outback of Queensland makes a perfect location for this harsh and ruthless backdrop where gunmen shoot at their enemies without any sympathy. The result of this beautifully filmed movie is a Western-like flick where the gritty and unforgiving emotions of the characters play out nicely against the intricately-written plot.

Kudos to cinematographer Benoit Delhomme (Breaking and Entering, 1408) for capturing the unflinching roughness of the sandy grounds against the orange sunsets, making this 104-minute film a visual treat. Kudos to writer Nick Cave for penning a story about brotherhood, pride and vengeance, making this multiple-award winner an engaging watch. And kudos to Cave and Warren Ellis for composing music that coldly complements the film’s moods.

The film may be violent, grisly and uncomfortable for the meeker viewers (hence its M18 rating), but at the last scene where Guy Pearce walks out calmly from a bloodbath into the open clearing, there is something that will move you quietly amidst the chaos and pandemonium that you had just experienced.

SPECIAL FEATURES :

This Code 3 DVD contains a 27-minute “The Making of The Proposition” where the filmmakers talk about their inspiration for this Western drama set in Australia, and how each of the cast members feels a sense of connection playing characters in rural Australia. Elsewhere, there are “Preview Trailers” for Casino Royale, Ghost Rider, The Covenant, Shottas, Walking Tall: The Payback and a promo for other Sony titles which are going to be released on Blu-Ray discs.

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The disc’s visual transfer makes every wide angled scene in the film look gorgeously captivating, while the audio track is presented in English 5.1 Dolby Digital.

MOVIE RATING:



DVD RATING :

Review by John Li

 
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. The Pursuit of Happyness

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This review is made possible with the kind support from Origin Entertainment

 


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