Overview
In the unforgiving Australian outback, a man's choice could save his family or doom them all.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- bleak
- brooding
- foreboding
- serious film night
- arthouse western night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a brutal, thought-provoking, and unusually atmospheric Australian western elevated by excellent performances.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The outback setting places outlaw brutality, law enforcement, and the project of civilizing Australia within a colonial social order.
Captain Stanley uses Charlie's attachment to his youngest brother to compel him to hunt Arthur Burns.
The harsh Australian outback, sparse atmosphere, and sudden acts of violence create an unrelenting sense of danger.
Both the Burns gang and the authorities are defined by cruelty, compromise, and morally ambiguous attempts at order.
Films like The Proposition, and why
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
shared revisionist western setting, moral brutality, family conflict, and austere atmosphere
The Wild Bunch
shared harsh frontier landscape, outlaw violence, and morally corrosive crime drama
Unforgiven
shared bleak western fatalism, stark violence, and uncompromising moral ambiguity
The Nightingale
shared Australian outback setting, colonial tension, and violent historical drama
Movie Details
- Director
- John Hillcoat
- Release Date
- 2005-10-06
- Runtime
- 104 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (747)
Cast
- Guy Pearce
- Ray Winstone
- Danny Huston
- Emily Watson
- David Wenham
- Richard Wilson
- John Hurt
- Noah Taylor
- Robert Morgan
- Jeremy Madrona
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Proposition about?
- In a merciless 1880s Australian frontier, a captured outlaw is forced to choose between killing his monstrous brother and losing the youngest member of his family.
- What is The Proposition like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Proposition as measured, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Proposition violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Proposition as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Proposition?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a brutal, thought-provoking, and unusually atmospheric Australian western elevated by excellent performances.
- Which films are like The Proposition?
- Films with a similar feel include The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The Wild Bunch, Unforgiven, and The Nightingale.
- How long is The Proposition?
- The Proposition runs 104 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Proposition?
- In United States, The Proposition streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
