The Proposition

20052005
13+13+
1h 44min

7.3/10

A lawman apprehends a notorious outlaw and gives him nine days to kill his older brother, or else they'll execute his younger brother.A lawman apprehends a notorious outlaw and gives him nine days to kill his older brother, or else they'll execute his younger brother.A lawman apprehends a notorious outlaw and gives him nine days to kill his older brother, or else they'll execute his younger brother.

7.3/10

52K

Top credits

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Awards
- 13 wins & 30 nominations

Videos1

Trailer 2:16

Official Trailer

Guy Pearce, Nick Cave, and John Hillcoat at an event for The Proposition (2005)

Guy Pearce at an event for The Proposition (2005)

John Hillcoat at an event for The Proposition (2005)

Nick Cave at an event for The Proposition (2005)

In the harsh outback of 1880s Australia, the brutal Burns brothers are wanted for a vicious crime. When Charlie Burns is captured, the officer arresting makes a startling proposition in order to end the cycle of violence: Charlie must hunt down and murder his violent older brother Arthur, in order to save his youngest brother from the noose.

gang hideout outlaw aborigine foreboding 293 more

Taglines
- This land will be civilized.
Genres
Certificate
- 13+
Parents guide

Trivia
In a 2018 interview, Guy Pearce said that this is his favorite of all of the movies he's ever done.

Goofs
Although the story takes place in the 1880s, Jellon sings "Danny Boy" - which wasn't published until 1913.

Quotes
Jellon Lamb: Forgive me, sir, but I've been stuck here with no one but this sorry sack of Hibernian pig shit for conversation. Poor, poor Dan O'Reilly. Sit, sir. Drink with me.
[Charlie cocks his gun and points it to Lamb]
Charlie Burns: One more crack about the Irish, Mr. Lamb, and I'll shoot you. Am I clear?
Jellon Lamb: Oh, as the waters of Ennis, sir. Let us drink, then, to the Irish. No finer race of men have ever... peeled a potato.
[Charlie cocks his gun again and points it to Lamb]
Charlie Burns: Do you pray, Mr. Lamb?

Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: The Black Dahlia/The Gridiron Gang/Everyone's Hero/Haven (2006)

Soundtracks
There Is a Happy Land
(1850)
Traditional
Music by Leonard P. Breedlove (uncredited) (1850)
Words by Andrew Young (1838)
Arranged by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis

Top review

9/10

A great Australian movie

Put simply this is the best Australian movie I have seen for years. A so-called Australian Western this is uniquely Australian and a must see for both Australian audiences and international audiences who would have no idea what living in early 'civilised' Australia must have been like. Well acted with top internationally recognized talent (Pearce and Winstone are fantastic), beautiful landscapes, and a violent yet somewhat beautiful and (again) unique story, I hope this movie is seen well beyond the Art-house, and I hope there is adequate marketing because this movie is so much better than the run-of-the-mill stuff we usually see in the cinema.

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