The Propositioncast a harsh eye onto a transitionalperiod for Australiaafter the New South Wales penal colony of the 1820s had transitioned into a permanent British settlement with an eye on ‘taming’ this barren Austral continent. Screenwriter and rock musician Nick Cave was responsible for the screenplay and music, illuminating a time (still two decades before Australian independence) when the Outback was much like the Old West of the same era. Lawmen and outlaws duked it out across a landscape that combined a Mars-like topography with towns that looked remarkably like their American counterparts of the time.
Captain Morris Stanley (Ray Winstone) describes it early in the film, saying, “Ah Australia… what fresh hell is this?” From the start, this is clearly not a KangarooWesternwithin the historical mold, and Cave’s ethereal script and whimsical soundtracking placeThe Propositionsquarely into arthouse territory. As does the film’s incredible cast — starring Guy Pearce and Winstone and with incredible supporting roles by Emily Watson and John Hurt.The Propositiondid for 2000s Westerns whatUnforgivendid for ’90s Westerns, proving that the genre was now as much a platform for acting as shootouts.
The Proposition and the Mind of Nick Cave
The Proposition
Understanding the film first requires a look into the mind of scribe Nick Cave, an Australian rock star who formed Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in 1983. Cave hails from Victoria, a southeastern state in Australia, and his music broke through to British and American audiences by the ’90s. Cave continues his prolific work touring and scoring films with cohort Warren Ellis to this day. Still, Cave’s incredible first venture into screenwriting showed thathis creative talent isn’t restricted by medium.
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The gut-wrenching 2016 documentaryOne More Time with Feelingshed light on Cave’s abnormal life. Nicknamed the Vampire by his wife, Cave is a creative font who rarely sleeps, can conjure amazing bands (Grinderman, The Birthday Party) on a whim, and is valued as a national treasure, being named an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2017. Still,The Propositionmay be his greatestgesamtkunstwerk—utilizing his music, writing, and historical interpretation of his country to makean existential Western.
The Proposition Is Full of Great Action Sequences
The poetic nature of the film belies its dark underbelly, which pierces through moments of Outback calm with impaling spears and exploding heads. Director John Hillcoat, who had previously collaborated with Cave on music videos, keeps the film firmly in the realm of action, even if dialogue is this film’s calling card.After a shootout with local police, Charlie Burns (Pearce) and his brother Mike are captured. The local police captain, Morris Stanley, offers him the ‘proposition’ in the title: Charlie must track down his ghost-like older brother Arthur (Danny Huston), who has eluded the capture of bush trackers and bounty hunters alike.
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The local Aboriginals think Arthur can conjure magic, sprouting ears and turning into a dog. He is certainly capable of killing and has embedded himself in the rugged Outback among outlaws and friends from local tribes. Charlie is so afraid of him that he absconds from their gang with his younger brother, Mike.Now, he must track down Arthur and kill him lest he and Mike lose their freedom… or worse.
The Proposition Is a Realistic Western
Acting elder statesman John Hurt was given one scene in the film, which gives all the exposition necessary to understand its main themes. Hurt plays Jellon Lamb, anold bounty hunterArthur meets upon setting off to find his older brother. Lamb is typical of the racist settlers who are attempting to take over the land, many of whom came to this place as prisoners. Echoing Captain Morris Stanley’s claim that “I will civilize this place,” Lamb intimates that the white privilege of the two men will triumph over the local indigenous people and inhospitable landscape. That sounds like Manifest Destiny,making this as much a frontier film as any from the American West.
The film does not hold back in depicting the harshness of the treatment of local Aboriginal tribes, one of the darkest legacies of British Imperialism.The Propositionis regarded as uncommonly accurate in depicting Indigenous Australian culture of the late 19th century, with Aboriginal actors David Gulpilil, Tom E. Lewis, and Leah Purcell giving moving performances.The Propositionis unflinching, unforgiving, and unnerving in its remembrance of all the harshness of colonization throughout the world,a completely novel approachto the Western genre.StreamThe PropositiononAppleTV+.
