Rating of
2.5/4
"The Proposition" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 01/20/12
A western set in the Australian outback, the proposition in question is made by Ray Winstone, a local police captain intent on civilizing the unkempt wilderness. He threatens to hang the younger brother of ex-outlaw Guy Pearce unless he hunts down and kills his older brother, a brutal rapist and murderer. The Proposition looks amazing, and having being written and scored by cult singer songwriter Nick Cave, sounds amazing as well. But somehow, it didn't quite gel for me. The characters are interesting, and the dialogue clever, but the relationships between the characters weren't quite there; it seemed like a collection of self consciously cool individuals and situations rather than a narrative flow. It's very low key in a similar way to The Assassination Of Jesse James and the sudden outbursts of graphic and brutal violence certainly grab the attention, but it concentrated too much on an unconvincing Ray Winstone and his wife rather than the far more interesting outlaws. It's certainly a film worth seeing, but it falls a little short of being great.
