Quigley Down Under (1990)

Sharpshooter Matt Quigley is hired from Montana by an Australian rancher paying a very high price. But when Quigley arrives Down Under, all is not as it seems.

Director:

Simon Wincer

Writer:

John Hill

Stars:

Tom Selleck, Laura San Giacomo, Alan Rickman

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Selleck	...	Matthew Quigley
Laura San Giacomo	...	Crazy Cora
Alan Rickman	...	Elliott Marston
Chris Haywood	...	Major Ashley-Pitt
Ron Haddrick	...	Grimmelman
Tony Bonner	...	Dobkin
Jerome Ehlers	...	Coogan
Conor McDermottroe	...	Hobb
Roger Ward	...	Brophy
Ben Mendelsohn	...	O'Flynn
Steve Dodd	...	Kunkurra
Karen Davitt	...	Slattern
Kylie Foster	...	Slattern
William Zappa	...	Reilly
Jonathan Sweet	...	Sergeant Thomas

Storyline

Sharpshooter Matt Quigley is hired from America by an Australian rancher so he can shoot aborigines at a distance. Quigley takes exception to this and leaves. The rancher tries to kill him for refusing, and Quigley escapes into the brush with a woman he rescued from some of the rancher's men, and are helped by aborigines. Quigley returns the help, before going on to destroy all his enemies.

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Plot Keywords:

aborigine | sharpshooter | one against many | tough guy | reference to wild bill hickok | 

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Taglines:

The West was never this far west...The Emmy Award-winning director of "Lonesome Dove" puts the classic Western back where it was meant to be, on the big screen...in a place it's never been before.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

Australia USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 October 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Gun, a Woman and... A Kiss

Filming Locations:

Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$21,413,105 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pathé Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sharps Rifles are now so inseparably related to this film that they are commonly nicknamed "Quigley guns." Sales for such weapons increased by over 1000% following the film's release, especially in the United States and Australia, and continue through 2013.

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Goofs

During his dinner with Quigley, Marston describes his 1860 Colt Army revolver as a "recent invention" of Samuel Colt's. However, Quigley's own weapon is an 1874 Sharps rifle, therefore by the time the story takes place Marston's weapon would be relatively archaic. In fact, the 1860 revolver was superseded by Colt's 1873 pattern, a ten inch barrel version of what later became known as the "peacemaker", the first Colt pistol with a bored-through cylinder taking a centrefire cartridge. Given Marstons infatuation with everything American, it would have made far more sense for him to be equipped with the 1873 model, which would better qualify as a "recent invention".

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Quotes

Matthew Quigley: God created all men. Sam Colt made them equal.

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Connections

Referenced in Bones: The Dwarf in the Dirt (2009)

User Reviews

A classic Western that is back on the saddle again.

Those who haven't grown up with Wayne or Eastwood should take a fair glance at QUIGLEY DOWN UNDER, an excellent recreation of vintage cowboy movies with brilliant qualities that make a traditional standard among others. With modern styling, this will grow on you if Westerns haven't been your brand. It deserves high merits for top-notch costuming, make-up, and scenery that gets all dusty and brown. Acting is extremely well done, considering the late stage it's in. "Crazy Cora" is a cheerful rendition to lady-pokes everywhere in Western cinema, and one who keeps calling "Roy" all the time, plus Tom Selleck shows us what a true cowboy should be like. The orchestrated music will stick to your mind in years to come. One familiar old problem that Westerns would normally have is being more like the rest of them, but then again, this film provides testimony that there is great need of reviving the Western genre, which would still be hard to appease today. Highly recommended!