ROTTEN TOMATOES: Guy Pearce and John Hillcoat Discuss "The Proposition" Comments

Guy Pearce and John Hillcoat Discuss "The Proposition"

by Tim Ryan | May 05, 2006

Summary

Director John Hillcoat had a big ambition when he undertook "The Proposition": a Western with a truly Aussie sensibility. "It's the Australian West," he said. "We've tried to reclaim it for ourselves." Back to Article

(1-7 of 7 posts) | Reply

Jen Yamato writes:
on May 06 2006 11:23 AM

[b]Good stuff![/b]
Powerful words for a powerful movie...especially considering the heat, the winds, the craziness it sounds like they endured during production. Anyone else see it yet? (Senh, what did you think?)

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lovelykeira writes:
on May 06 2006 01:04 PM

Sounds like a tough shoot, the film sounds really good, I hope it does well and expands to my city.

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SuperS writes:
on May 06 2006 01:15 PM

I've been hooked to this movie ever since I saw the first preview when it came out. I've had my fair share of good Guy Pearce movies and when I finally saw him back after a brief hiatus... I was jumping for joy and watched the trailer.

I've been waiting for this since I saw it... But now I have to wait longer, because it's not playing in my theatre. I have had it saved on my queue for weeks now :D

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The Senhman writes:
on May 06 2006 04:51 PM

In reply to this comment (#835258)
First, a disclaimer:
I fell asleep during the first 10 minutes of every film I saw at Sundance, with the exception of one - Steel City, a family drama. And that was my favorite film of the festival. I just couldn't help it. The lack of sleep, walking around in the freezing cold, and then sitting in a warm comfortable seat instantly knocked me out every time.

So anyway, for this screening, I downed a full cup of coffee before it started hoping to get pass the first 10 minutes awake. The result: I woke up 10 minutes later.

I felt disoriented throughout the entire film because I missed the setup. I didn't know the guy Pierce's character was trying to capture was his brother. I missed out on that entire conflict. Throughout the film I was wondering why he was so conflicted - dude, just blow that guy's head up and save your little brother.

Anyway, when the film was over, it reminded me a lot of "History of Violence," which I liked. Both are Westerns with gorey and shocking violence. I like how realistic the cinematography was, with bugs and insects flying around people's faces. I thought the score was unique too. But at the end, I didn't know what to think of it because I slept thru the setup. I'll have to watch it again to give it a fair review.

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CyberWasted writes:
on May 07 2006 11:37 AM

I saw this film apon it release here in Australia and I have to say I was absolutely blown away by the power of the story, the outback setting, the actors and the music. The Proposition is epic film making in every sense of the word. Im obviously Australian and thus biased right? There may be some truth to that but I know quality and this is the stuff. It is now firmly entrenched into my top 10 films of all time and Im sure it is there to stay for all time. Quite simply stunning!

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frogleg writes:
on Sep 29 2006 10:45 AM

I missed its theatrical run, but it looks like it's available in the ol' Netflix queue now.
I just bumped it to the top.

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Psinex writes:
on Oct 01 2006 06:55 PM

I was pretty excited to see this film when it came out initially. It's probably been about three or four months since I saw it here in Hollywood. I must admit that I was disappointed. The production value and sets were fantastic. The action was top notch, and the acting was pretty solid, for the most part. The story and characters, however, were a bit incoherent and petty at times. I'm sure there is an esoteric explanation for every issue that I had with the story. However, filmmakers should not have the expectation that audiences will understand what they are trying to convey without listening to the director's commentary.

A big problem for me was trying to understand what made the brother of Guy Pearce's character murder so many. It seemed like they glossed over that point, and he just was a thrill killer, robber, what have you. Another was that they set up David Wenham's character as such a prick, but he had no closure in the story. He just kind of disappears because the focus of the story shifts to the outback and stays there for the big shootout at Ray Winstone's house. I didn't care for Emily Watson's catatonic performance. She didn't have a lot to do with her role. Nevertheless, it did not take away from the fact that this film was somewhat enjoyable. But it didn't quite reach my level of expectations.

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