The Proposition

The Proposition is a simple one. Go and kill your older brother, or your younger brother will hang. In 9 days.

Written by Nick Cave (yes, of Red Right Hand fame) and staring Guy Pierce, this is a violent and thought provoking western set in the Australian Outback. It’s hard to root for or against any of the characters in this movie, but I think that it’s done on purpose. I never felt like there was a clear answer and who I should be rooting for.

Some may be turned off by the excessive and graphic violence. I think it added to the realism and starkness of the landscape and time that the movie was set in.

The Proposition has also recently been compared to No Country For Old Men. This is probably in part due to the fact that the director of The Proposition will also be directing The Road, another Cormac McCarthy novel. They do share common elements, and treat the stark landscapes they both capture beautifully, it’s hard to compare the two films. While The Proposition was a good film, I doubt I will watch it more than once. I can’t say the same for No Country.