The Proposition: John Hillcoat

John Hillcoat's The Proposition is a stark vision of Australia's past that carries many similarities with the American Old West. Here, the encroachment of civilization is represented by Australian authorities, in particular Captain Stanley, who seek to bring order and justice to an untamed frontier. The infamous outlaws and gunslingers are here represented by the Burns brothers gang, a savage group of criminals who raped and murdered a frontier family. Stone-faced Native Americans are replaced by stoic Australian Aborigines, men who serve both as guides and adversaries to the forces of "justice." The film begins with the capture of two members of the Burns brothers gang, Charlie and his feeble-minded younger brother Mikey. Captain Stanley makes a deal with Charlie that if he can bring in his homicidal older brother, Arthur, before Christmas, he will let him and Mikey go free. From here the film splits into two narratives. The first follows Captain Stanley as he tries to keep the peace with his fragile wife, the local blood-thirsty townsfolk, and his corrupt superior. We gradually learn that Captain Stanley might be more noble than we were first led to believe. In fact, he soon becomes the only beacon of sanity in his community which begins to froth at the mouth with the desire to lynch Mikey. The second narrative follows Charlie as he tracks down Arthur and makes the impossible decision about whether or not to bring him in. Here is the only problem I find with the film: it tries to romanticize Arthur as a kind of noble maniac who gives speeches about how family is the most important thing in life. But I don't buy it. This is the film's only real failing. Everything else about The Proposition is masterfully executed. Also, the film must be given credit for having some of the best sound mixing and editing to grace the Western genre in years. Wait until you hear the hellish, metallic, locomotive howls of the Outback which seem to forewarn of treachery and doom. You'll know when you hear it.

8/10