--- title: "The Proposition: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-proposition/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-proposition" critics_score: 74 critics_reviews: 12 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Proposition (2005): what the critics said Critics' score 74 from 12 reviews: 8 positive, 3 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics come away impressed by The Proposition. The reviews return again and again to the outback itself: the heat, the dust and the sense of a landscape that offers no comfort to anyone in it. John Hillcoat’s precise, unflinching handling of the violence earns consistent praise, as does Nick Cave’s work on both the script and the score, which several critics credit with the film’s off-kilter feel. The performances are widely admired, with Guy Pearce, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston and John Hurt each singled out by different writers. The reservations cluster on pace and writing. Several critics find the middle sags, and a few think the dialogue strains for portent. The spread is wide: eight positive reviews sit alongside one outright dismissal. The AV Club finds it bluntly ugly and weighed down by its own seriousness, while Eye for Film argues the moral premise and the characters are never properly developed. Even the sceptics grant the photography and the score. ## Empire — Adam Smith Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 February 2006. The critic calls it a brutal, impressive film and one of the finest of the year. They praise Hillcoat’s precise handling of violence and the outback’s oppressive atmosphere. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/proposition-2-review/) ## Slant Magazine — Nick Schager Rating 3.5/4. 18 January 2006. Schager sees the film as a bleak, caustic meditation on civilization’s struggle against human savagery. He praises the measured imagery, Nick Cave’s writing and score, and Ray Winstone’s performance as Stanley. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-proposition/) ## The Guardian — Rob Mackie Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 21 July 2006. Mackie praises the film as a poetic, strange and brutal western that earns a place among the genre’s classics. He singles out the convincing atmosphere and especially strong performances, including Danny Huston’s. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/jul/21/dvdreviews.drama) ## Radio Times — Adam Smith Rating 4/5. Adam Smith praises the film as a gritty, grim and blood-soaked western. He singles out its bleak, violent portrayal of the Australian outback. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-5d9tzr/the-proposition/) ## Total Film — Total Film Rating 4/5. 10 March 2006. The review calls it a bold, brilliant and haunting Western that revives a moribund genre, despite some slow pacing and a forced accent. It praises the distinctive collaboration between John Hillcoat and Nick Cave for giving the film its off-kilter feel. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-proposition-review/) ## Variety — Richard Kuipers Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 16 September 2005. Kuipers finds the film a muscular, allegory-rich Western whose bleakness and violence may limit its commercial appeal. He praises the exemplary performances, particularly Guy Pearce’s nuanced portrayal of Charlie Burns. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2005/film/markets-festivals/the-proposition-2-1200523107/) ## The New Yorker Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the film narratively confused but ultimately compelling as a portrait of a culture divided by racial conflict. They single out its striking outback atmosphere and the way its brutal characters seem captivated by the landscape. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/the-proposition) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. No specific praise or complaint can be verified from the provided text. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-proposition-2006) ## The AV Club — Noel Murray Rating C-. 2 May 2006. Murray finds the film bluntly ugly, weighed down by portentous writing and grim violence. He praises its clashes between elegance and wilderness, and the energy John Hurt brings to his scenes. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-proposition-1798201685) ## Collider — Quinn Clarke Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 August 2022. The critic argues that the film powerfully exposes the hypocrisy and violence behind colonial claims of civilization. They praise its use of restrained, offscreen tragedy to let the brutality elsewhere carry its weight. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-proposition-brutal-backwardness-colonialism-john-hillcoat-nick-cave/) ## Den of Geek — Luke Savage Rating 4/5. 4 February 2010. Savage calls it a great Western and one of the best Australian Westerns, though the Blu-ray extras disappoint. He praises the vivid desert imagery and the haunting Cave and Ellis soundtrack. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-proposition-blu-ray-review/) ## Eye for Film — Themroc Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 5 November 2005. The critic finds the film disappointing, arguing that its moral premise and characters are insufficiently developed and its pace sags. They praise the striking photography, haunting score and visceral staging of the violence. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-proposition-film-review-by-themroc) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-proposition.md