Shocking. The Proposition is utterly shocking and for so many reasons, all of them good. Set in the 19^th century Australian outback, here is a masterpiece of storytelling by director John Hillcoat from a script by Nick Cave (yes that Nick Cave). A story of revenge, redemption and retribution, it is shocking for the timely yet brutally realistic violence that underlines the entire narrative. Occasionally it pops up on screen, most unpleasantly during the murder of an Aborigine. Mostly it bubbles under the surface and around the edges of a small community who are have been assailed by a group of outlaws (Guy Pearce, Danny Huston, Tom Budge). The area captain (Ray Winstone) tries to reign them in with a proposition: Pearce must kill one brother to save the life of another. But this course of action is not as unpleasant or immediate as the Captain’s commander (David Wenham) wants. His actions trigger a chain of events that will bring violence into the Captain’s home.

Brimming with a sickening sense of dread, The Proposition is tremendous filmmaking marked by an overwhelming sense of realism. This outback is overrun with flies, filth and bad teeth. It is a hard place to live and even harder to endure; strikingly captured by Benoit Delhomme’s spellbinding cinematography. At the heart of the story are two men: both wrestling with conscience, loyalty and the need to protect one person they hold most dear. This juxtaposition of good and evil is central to The Proposition’s interlocking themes that are woven into a work of sublime lyrical beauty. This is undoubtedly one of the years finest films.

// COLIN FRASER