proposition, not a good aussie western.

there's much over-underacting in this arty anti-western set in aussie
land.
more a collection of mannerisms than performances. guy pearce plays
it one-dimensionally as possible. it's supposed to pass for darkness
and mystery. it's just alot of bull. he looks all grimy and sweaty
as if the movie is trying to make the by-now-tired statement that
westerners--in america or elsewhere--were not like roy rogers. i
understand gunmen--especially outlaws--were probably a grubby bunch,
but do they have to look like they haven't showered or shaved for a
full yr?
guy pearce played a similarly strange and oddball role in Memento, but
as he suffered from amnesia in that mooie it was understandable. in
The Proposition, he seems to be doing a grubbier version of sheen's
role in Apocaplyse Now with even fewer words--if that is possible.
indeed, the mooie seems inspired by coppola's movie.
both movies have some guy assigned to hunt down a man who is both a
quasi-spiritual poet and a mad killer. the whole thing is supposed to
be about man's journey into his own dark soul.
nothing original is done with this material. instead, we just get alot
of Meaningful posings and posturing. even Charles Darwin is invoked
to drive home the point that man or beast, civilized or outlaw, we are
all made of the same blood stained murderous genes.

looks good though.