The Proposition is a western that recalls some of Sergio Leone's starker moments, with a tale of violence and retribution at its heart. However, it is not set against the vast plains of the American Old West, but the barren scorched landscape of Ned Kelly-era Australia. With a screenplay by Australian musician Nick Cave (who also wrote the film's music), The Proposition is a powerful and affecting tale.

Charlie Burns (Pearce) is a sullen, brooding Irishman, fiercely protective of his younger brother, Mikey (Richard Wilson). A local family has been murdered, and police captain Maurice Stanley (Ray Winstone) is certain that Arthur (Danny Huston), the eldest Burns brother, is responsible for this atrocity. After capturing Charlie and Mikey, Captain Stanley offers them a deal (the 'proposition' of the title): Charlie must find the elusive Arthur and turn him in, otherwise Mikey faces death by hanging. What follows is an intense examination of the often-ugly conflict between British and Irish ex-patriots, who have little in common besides a mutual disdain for the Aboriginal people (whose way of life has been brutally snatched from them by these so-called 'civilised' settlers). In addition, it is a tale about the relationship between three brothers: the fearless Charlie, the charismatic and charming yet cold-blooded Arthur, and the sensitive bewildered Mikey. The latter is a permanently frightened, almost mute young man, who does not seem capable of hurting a fly (of which there are plenty), let alone having a hand in the butchering of an entire family. This makes his threatened execution downright baffling, but the hardened townsfolk with their lynch-mob mentality need someone to blame for the savage murders.

The Proposition is unapologetic in its brutality, with a level of violence that is sometimes difficult to take. The searing heat and unforgiving landscape are superbly conveyed – one can almost smell the stench of rotting livestock shrouded by an omnipresent swarm of flies. Nick Cave's music is one of the film's highlights. Alternating between gentle, folk-flavoured melodies, harsh orchestral strings and a melancholy solo cello, Cave has created the perfect soundtrack for a western. It evokes both mood and landscape so well that one is reminded of Ennio Morricone's landmark spaghetti western film scores.

Boasting a first-rate cast, the acting doesn't disappoint, but it doesn't exceed expectations. This is due to a lack of character development, which gives the actors little scope to make any great impression. However, Richard Wilson's turn as the brutalised Mikey will stay with you, and John Hurt camps it up as a seemingly harmless eccentric English drunk who ultimately mutates into something altogether more different. Ray Winstone is unusually sympathetic as Captain Stanley, a man who is trying to uphold the law with an iron fist while wrestling with his conscience. One gradually warms to him when it becomes clear he is not entirely bereft of decency, despite first impressions. Emily Watson effectively portrays Captain Stanley's wife Martha, a gentle English rose frustrated by the macho man's world in which she lives. Huston's Irish accent is quite good; Pearce's not bad. Both attempts are far better than that of Tom Budge, who plays young thug Samuel, one of Arthur's protégés. The real star, though, is the Australian landscape – austere and quite literally a kind of hell on earth, it is ultimately what makes the film.

The Proposition is more a study of the dynamics of a particular society rather than a plot-driven narrative. What plot there is, is rather thin. Also, the viewer is told virtually nothing about either the background of the central characters or the background of the story. However, for those who admire the dark side of the western genre, this film comes highly recommended.

Rated 16 (see IFCO website for details)
The Proposition is released on 10th March 2006.