It's become a common theme when talking about quality Westerns made these days that they be compared to Unforgiven. Directed and starring Clint Eastwood, Unforgiven provides the standard that all Westerns, but mostly ones made A.U.(After Unforgiven), be rated by. Before A.U., it was A.H.N.(After High Noon). Then came A.G.B.U.A.O.U.T.W (After the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly AND Once Upon A Time in the West). Then the umbrella time frame known as A.J.W (After John Wayne) because he was the standard all lead Western actors were rated by.
Westerns provide a tremendous canvas for all the elements a filmmaker would wish to put on film. Scenery, social commentary, period piece, drama, action, dialogue, acting opportunities, mise-en-scene. The list goes on and on. But the most important thing that Westerns provide filmmakers is their sense of history because it is the one genre which is completely and totally American. Which leads me to The Proposition.
The Proposition is one of the more unique Westerns to watch. Reason number one is that it takes place in Australia. An English law officer(Ray Winstone) is brought to early settlement Australia with the task of instilling order and 'civilizing' the land. He captures a pair of brothers(Guy Pearce, Richard Wilson) who were members of a gang with their eldest brother(Danny Huston) and provides a proposition: kill your elder brother, or he'll hang the youngest.
This film lives up to everything a Western should be: gritty, barren, and ruthless. It provides a unique take on authority amongst civilized people and uncivilized people. The law enforcement are as cruel as the outlaws. Does that ring a bell for all you Unforgiven fans?
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