The Proposition

The Proposition is one of my favorite movies. Nick Cave's soundtrack is bewitching, and the landscapes are beautiful. All of the actors are great, and there’s so much depth to the characters. Everything about it is meticulous and nuanced. I’d dial back how graphic some of the violence is, but other than that, it's brilliant.

This is at least the third time I've seen The Proposition. I saw it when it came out, and it's one of my favorites. Apparently I don't even have a rating for the previous times I've seen it. I absolutely love it, though. It's great right from the beginning, when you've got everybody there -- Ray Winstone, Guy Pearce, and Mikey. And they start right away cutting to the landscapes, and Charlie on his horse. The visuals are so great the entire time -- the scenery, the composition, everything. It makes you feel like you're really there.

Of course you feel bad for Mikey. I wonder if he ever actually did anything wrong. I love how Arthur saying "why don't you ever just stop me" is perfect foreshadowing for when Charlie finally kills him. You feel bad for the captain and his wife, too. There's so many scenes, but the one with the Christmas tree is particularly heart-wrenching. The scene when the aboriginals start howling really illustrates that huge disconnect between the two cultures. And the subordinate's "I told you so" smile at the end of it was a nice touch.

I love Danny Huston's performance as Arthur, how he's just trying to get everyone to be a family. And John Hurt was great as Jellon, too. I loved everyone's accents. Guy Pearce is such a good actor. He's not even talking most of the time, but he still says so much. And the captain's boss was so peculiar, yet another interesting character. Of course, you you can't talk about The Proposition without mentioning Nick Cave's soundtrack. The main song is so mesmerizing. I didn't realize before that he actually wrote the movie, too.

The only thing I can't fully get behind is the level of graphic violence. It's hard to say if I'd really take it out or not, though, since it wouldn't be the same movie without it. Maybe we just don't actually need to *see* so many people's heads being blown apart and bashed in, though. It's not Something Awful, after all.