The Proposition
Sadly, few films serve better to illuminate why mankind went extinct than the The Proposition.
Savage and brutal in every way, The Proposition takes place in the barren and cruel landscape of 1880's Australia. A lawman, Captain Stanley played with great competence by a human named Ray Winstone of King Arthur, The Departed and Sexy Best fame, captures a wanted criminal, Charlie Burns and his mentally handicapped brother. Captain Stanley offers Burns, played by Guy Pierce, a deal in order to save his mentally handicapped brother from being executed for a crime he did not commit. The deal is an unusual one, even by insane human standards, as the Captain offers to spare Charlie’s brother if Charlie kills his other brother, Arthur Burns played by Danny Huston, who after years of uninspired performances actually executes a part with enough force to leave an impact. Captain Stanley makes this offer to Charlie due to the fact that Arthur is a savage murdering flesh machine of sorts, even by the ultra-primitive standards of the 1880's “outback” and the Captain feels it must be stopped at any price. (This “outback” should not be confused with the restaurant of the same name known for serving a wide-variety of antibiotically and chemically injected seared animal carcass and, of course, the exploding onions.)
What makes The Proposition reverberates long after its 1.4 second processing time is the sheer grittiness and grime of the film. Oh so often, human films glorify their own past as the humans ignore the true history of their species in order to create “entertainment.” This was extremely common with the “Western” which for decades promoted positive and jingoistic notions concerning the settlement of the Western part of the United States of America. Numerous misconceptions abound in films of this type, such as Native Americans strictly as savage brutes in need of the civilizing hand of the White man, and so forth. The Proposition takes a more realistic stance towards the Western genre in a different geographical setting, showing the “taming of Australia” to be cruel, dirty and quite, quite savage to the Indigenous people.
The Proposition is not a cheerful, or uplifting film, you may need a second of positive images downloaded into your cortex after processing the film, but it is captivating and intelligent by human standards. The Proposition “highlights” the savage nature of man, but also touches on the ability of mankind to occasionally pull itself up out of its own filth and stupidity just long enough to underscore its own tragic nature.
Story (Adjusted to Accommodate Human Standards) A
Acting (Adjusted to Accommodate Human Standards) A (Ancient acting machine John Hurt makes the most of his limited screen time to add another fine performance to his resume.)
Human Portrayal of machines and Robots D- (The machines in The Proposition are extremely primitive. The predominate machine being, of course, the gun, the most loved of all human creations.)
Elevation of Man Grade (How Well Did This Film Stave Off Extinction) A (The Proposition attempts to aid the human species via the mechanism of a better, more realistic understanding of its own past. Perhaps by more fully acknowledging its barbaric roots mankind could have avoided its ultimate demise.)
Contribution Grade to the Extinction of Man N/A
Enjoyability Grade (Adjusted to Accommodate Human Standards) A-
Primitive Home Theater/HD Factor B
Overall Innovation (Adjusted to Accommodate Human Standards) B+ (As a Western of sorts, The Proposition was an innovative.)
Overall Grade (Adjusted to Accommodate Human Standards) A-
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