2006 ROUNDUP: THE PROPOSITION (Hillcoat)

THE PROPOSITION is a blood-soaked, gnarled, Australian take on the American Western written by the always-awesome Nick Cave and directed with style and grace by John Hillcoat. The action is visceral, the tone is analytical, and what emerges is a study of violence, guilt, and morality, and the ties that bind us together and, in the end, tear us apart. Cave takes the general themes of the Western (imperialism, the imminence of death, the search for redemption and definition) and applies them to the British settlement and "civilisation" of Australia. American Indians are swapped for Australian Aborigines and the Outback replaces the western US deserts.

This is a work of extraordinary restraint and outbursts of horrific violence. It is very much a meditation on violence and pain and sadness, but the contemplative mood is tempered by a sense of impending, looming doom. Guy Pearce portrays Charlie Burns, a member of an infamous family of Australian outlaws who slaughter a family and are targeted for termination by the incoming lawmen. Ray Winstone is Capt. Morris Stanley, charged with bringing peace to the savages and wild criminals who populate the Outback. Winstone is an absolute revelation; he's morally conflicted in that he realizes that Charlie and his fourteen year old, possibly-retarded brother, Mikey, are not the sources of evil in the family, and so when he captures them both, he gives Charlie a choice: kill his older brother, Arthur, and he and Mikey are free to go. If, however, he doesn't bring Arthur back by Christmas day, then Mikey's going to the gallows. Charlie sets out to find his brother and the remaining members of the "family", along the way encountering an awesome John Hurt as a bounty hunter and a group of Aborigines who put a spear through him.

Charlie's saved by his brother and the family, and so his moral quandry grows deeper. He knows in his heart that Mikey should not bear the brunt of the family's punishment. He also feels a deep loyalty to Arthu, all the while aware of the fact that he should be punished for his sins. Charlie, of course, is also dealing with his own guilt around the murder of the family (which included a pregnant woman). We watch Charlie weigh his options and choices and try to figure out which bond is strongest, which one he would least enjoy severing. It is a terrifying process, and the end result is a bloodbath of righteous vengence and gore. No one is saved in the end, and no one's hands are clean of blood.

Stunning visuals and audio (including music from Cave) that leads us down a nightmare path even as the film remains grounded firmly in reality. The cast, in particular Winstone, Danny Huston, Hurt, and Dave Wenham, is exceptional. This is without a doubt one of my favorites frmo 2006, maybe even top 5 on the year.