The Proposition

"Australia, What Fresh Hell is This?" Considering the absolute brutality of the Australian outback, it’s surprising that there haven’t been more great takes on the Western genre from down under. But, boy, was the wait worth it for director John Hillcoat’s “The Proposition.” Re-teaming with the godlike Nick Cave, who was also behind the script for Hillcoat’s debut “Ghosts of the Civil Dead,” the story takes on the mythic qualities of some of Cave’s best work, helped in no small part by his score with fellow Bad Seed Warren Ellis — probably my favorite of the musician’s film work. It’s a nasty, grimy little film, reminiscent of the best of Peckinpah, with a fantastic cast (John Hurt and Danny Huston being the stand-outs) buried under layers of blood, dirt and sweat — these are people battling against an endless, godless landscape, and they’re losing. Plus, it has the best exploding head scenes of the decade... see it, better yet, see it on Blu Ray, it's a cheap disc.