<BIz34>A graphic study of human nature
Screens on March 22 at 4 p.m at the Little Theatre and on March 24 at 6.30 p.m. at the Liberty Theatre.
Although a relatively straightforward proposition, the remainder of the film is spent dealing with the ramifications of such a move, with all manner of plot twists and dramatic irony thrown in for good measure.
A superb study in human nature, nearly every character in the film blurs the line between good and bad, with the police captain — played with all Ray Winstone’s typical moody, hardman brilliance — using questionable methods to save the day.
Equally many of his men are as evil or worse than the men they are hunting while the outlaws each show a certain degree of humanity creating an intriguing web of inter-relationships which keeps the viewer entranced.
Proposition also pits the stark beauty of the Australian outback — look out for plenty of postcard sunsets — against a film that is violent and racist — against blacks and ex-pats — in equal measure.
No one is spared from the graphic portrayal of the hard life of an uncivilised world with rapes, aboriginal heads blown off, some bloody lashings and enough bad language, beatings and gunshot wounds to upset the more genteel among us.
In the film’s favour, nothing is gratuitous, the violence, though plentiful, is necessary to fully explore the characters and to properly set the backdrop for the tough decisions every character is forced to make.
Unlike more mainstream films, Proposition leaves you with plenty to think about and take away, and that is the moral dilemmas and racial attitudes the film throws up and not just what it is like to see a man killed by having his throat stamped on.
Not for the faint-hearted or the young.
