The Proposition (Blu-ray)

They say that the western is dead, but John Hillcoat’s moody and mesmerising Aussie western might have a thing or two to say about that.

Captain Stanley (Winstone), a Brit lawman working in Australia, manages to capture the notorious Burns brothers, Charley (Pearce) and Mikey, though with the oldest and most dangerous Burns member, Arthur (Huston), still at large, Stanley must hatch a scheme to apprehend the allusive fugitive. In exchange for freedom (for both himself and his little brother), Charley is convinced by Stanley to venture out into the desert no-man’s land to hunt down and kill Arthur.    

Taking place in the eerie yet beautifully barren Outback, The Proposition is an artful, nightmarish tale that wisely takes its inspiration from the Leone/Peckinpah school of western filmmaking. It’s slow, violent, dark and completely absorbing. Of course, Nick Cave’s (who wrote the screenplay) own romanticised gloom suits the apocalyptic-style western down to a tee, and his gorgeous and grave music (accompanied on the soundtrack by multi-instrumentalist, Warren Ellis) makes the bleak and haunting ambience all the more potent.

Making the most of the stunning Australian locales and Benoit Delhomme’s cinematography is the impressive high-definition transfer. Yes, The Proposition looks glorious in hi-def, doing wonders with the blisteringly bright visuals, which take place, predominantly, in the baking hot desert.

The dirt, sweat and flies buzzing around the heads of the haggard protagonists are crystal clear and are finely detailed, while the textures on the wrinkled faces and the grime-covered clothes is superb. Both close-ups and long shots display an amazing sharpness, while grain is practically non-existent.

The various audio options do a great job with the subtle music soundtrack, while the opening gunfight gets things off to a great start as the sounds of the bullets fly across the room in all directions thanks to the strong audio.

It’s a real shame that there are no Blu-ray exclusive extras. In fact, this hi-def disc doesn’t even boast the same list of extras as the previously released DVD. All we do get is a ‘Making Of’ featurette and a trailer, which is a little disappointing to say the least. However with Hillcoats’ apocalyptic Cormac McCarthy adaptation, The Road, coming to cinemas soon, it’s the perfect time to check out his excellent earlier movie in HD.

Overall Verdict: A blindingly beautiful film in hi-def, though it’s a shame about the lack of special features.

Special Features:
‘Making Of’ Featurette
Trailer

Reviewer: Lee Griffiths