Proposition, The (2005, Australia | UK)

The Proposition is a visually stunning tale of loyalty, betrayal and retribution set in the frontier of 1880’s Australia.

In the harsh, unforgiving landscape of the outback, Charlie Burns is presented with an impossible proposition by local law enforcer Captain Stanley: the only way to save his younger brother Mikey from the gallows is to track down and kill Arthur, his psychotic older brother. Meanwhile, Captain Stanley has other problems to contend with. Having given up their comfortable life in England, he is desperate to shield his innocent wife Martha from the brutalities of their new surroundings. He also faces mounting pressure from renegade Aborigines and his superior Eden Fletcher to bring order to the region. An uneasy sense of foreboding grows as events close in and each character faces a punishing moral dilemma that leads inexorably to a devastating climax.

Stars Guy Pearce, Ray Winstone, Emily Watson, David Gulipilil and Danny Huston with a score by Nick Cave.