The Proposition - 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray [UK Import]

[Review Excerpt from the 2008 Blu-ray Edition]

"To simply call [John Hillcoat's] The Proposition a Western is to do it a great disservice. Like Unforgiven and The Wild Bunch before it, Hillcoat's film focuses on men who aren't simply righteous or evil, but rather complicated human beings challenged to make some hard choices. While both Charlie [Guy Pearce] and Stanley [Ray Winstone] are forced to endure a series of events that drag them each through the proverbial mud, neither one can be labeled as a typical protagonist or antagonist. As it is with every character in the film, appearances can be deceiving and, even then, a person's lot in life doesn't necessarily result in predictable behavior or logical reactions. Hillcoat allows his characters to reflect on their lives and make weighty, life-altering decisions. [We] feel sympathy for Charlie's plight regardless of his deeds, root for Stanley in spite of his unraveling plan, and begin to understand the instability simmering behind Arthur's [Danny Huston] eyes.

"To make things even more interesting, Hillcoat hurls his morally ambiguous characters into a world populated with uncertainty, brutality, and death. The gifted filmmaker laces each scene with a palpable sense of dread that permeates every leer, scream, and exchange. Even Martha's [Emily Watson] quaint haven fails to protect her husband from the consequences of his decisions. In fact, the delicate simplicity of their home becomes the stuff of nightmares when Arthur pays the Stanleys a third act visit. As Hillcoat turns scoundrel into hero, security into peril, and allegiance into unconditional love, he weaves a tale through silent exchanges and sun-drenched locales as much as through its plot and dialogue. By the time the credits roll, the film leaves no doubt that it's much more than your average Western."

As for myself, I've been a fan of Nick Cave's music and career for as long as I can remember, so when I read that he wrote a screenplay set in the Australian Outback during Christmas, I was beyond elated. And the gritty, unromanticized western did not disappoint in the least. Drawing from the complicated history of British colonialism and the government's even more problematic relationship with both the Aboriginal people and the Irish, the plot is a morality tale at its core. John Hillcoat's film beautifully negotiates between themes about positioning brother against brother in the pursuit of justice, the thin line between fair, equitable punishment and barbaric, sadistic torture, and our intrinsic need for just redemption descending into primitive depravity. And it all takes place in a harsh, lifeless landscape constantly baking in the scorching, hell-like climate of the Outback, yet it ironically retains a seductive charm and mystifying appeal. Added to this, the filmmakers take advantage of the common western motif of bringing law and order to a supposed savage land, about taming and domesticating a territory perceived as uncivilized in the eyes of the privileged and powerful. Simply put, The Proposition is a masterpiece.

Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray
Courtesy of BFI Video, John Hillcoat's The Proposition rides home as a two-disc 4K Ultra HD edition. Housed in the standard black keepcase with a sturdy, side-sliding slipcover, the Region-Free, triple-layered UHD100 disc sits comfortably on a center spindle while a Region B Locked, dual-layered BD50 disc takes the opposing panel. The box set includes a reversible poster and a 78-page book, featuring nine insightful essays studying various aspects of the production, several color photos and a brief explanation about the transfer. There are no trailers or promos before being greeted by a menu screen with full-motion clips, music playing in the background and the usual options at the bottom left corner of the screen.

According to the liner notes, the Outback western races to the sleepy town of Ultra HD thanks to a brand-new remaster of the original Super 35mm camera negatives, and the color grading was performed with the involvement of director John Hillcoat and cinematographer Benoit Delhomme. The results are a gorgeous HEVC H.265 encode that stays true to the filmmaker's artistic efforts, displaying a very high contrast balance that perfectly captures the sweltering, oppressive heat of Australia. This allows for outstanding visibility in the many beautiful shots of the blistering landscapes. The native 4K transfer is also highly-detailed with sharp, well-defined lines in the costumes, along the buildings and the furniture while the surrounding foliage is distinct, and we can plainly make out the crevices and fractures in the rock formations. 

On a few occasions, especially during the blazing daylight exteriors, whites noticeably bloom, but this is largely intentional for maintaining the aesthetic design. Daylight interiors and evening scenes provide some respite, bathing the 2.35:1 image in crisp, radiant whites and rich, silky blacks while the shadow details remain strong within the darkest, murkiest corners. It's also worth noting that some sequences are blurrier than others and a majority of the film is a tad softer than might be initially expected. It's nothing egregious but again, is the result of the creative choices by the filmmakers. Specular highlights, likewise, appear more restrained and limited compared to other UHD titles, but it nonetheless furnishes the visuals with a bit more pop than its Blu-ray predecessor, providing a vivid glow to the clouds, a realistic glean to the guns and a more visible details in the hottest spots, such as in the campfires. 

Awash in a very fine layer of natural grain, the Dolby Vision HDR presentation also bathes the action in a lovely array of richly-saturated secondary hues. The cinematography favors the orange-teal palette, and it is more salient here than its HD SDR counterpart, particularly in scenes at the Stanley homestead. A variety of full-bodied earth tones and warm yellows in daylight make for a magnificently beautiful contrast to the picturesque scenes of the evening, twilight hours, showing a lovely blend of amber reds, animated violets and the dark indigo skies. Facial complexions appear accurate to the extreme Australian climate where most of the men look sunburnt, except for Emily Watson and David Wenham, making for an impressive upgrade over previous home video editions. (Dolby Vision HDR Video Rating: 82/100)

For this UHD edition, the folks at BFI offer two listening options for fans to enjoy, starting with a great DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack and an uncompressed PCM 2.0 stereo alternative. Of the two, the former is perhaps the better choice, but with this being a character-driven film, the difference is arguably small where the only notable exceptions are the two action sequences bookending the story. 

Those moments make excellent use of the surrounds, displaying precise directionality with effective panning for generating a satisfying soundfield, and with the receivers' Auro-3D up-mixing functionality, a few atmospherics convincingly extend into the heights, namely the echoing effect of the gunshots. The design is really more focused on creating organic droning of the Outback with the occasional rustling and wind blowing in the distance while maintaining distinct clarity and intelligibility of the vocals. The mid-range exhibits superb acoustical detailing and outstanding distinction in the haunting musical score, and although nothing particularly noteworthy or memorable, the low-end nonetheless delivers an appreciable oomph and impact to the visuals, making for a terrific lossless mix that's faithful to the well-crafted sound design.

Also, I didn't detect any significantly discernable differences in this DTS-HD track versus its Dolby TrueHD counterpart enjoyed on the previous Blu-ray. (Audio Rating: 80/100)

For this UHD edition, BFI combines the same assortment of bonus features enjoyed on the previous U.S. Blu-ray release with a few new surprises spread across both discs.

UHD Disc

• Audio Commentary with director John Hillcoat and screenwriter Nick Cave
• NEW Audio Commentaries with film critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson
• NEW John Hillcoat and Nick Cave in Conversation (Audio, 53 min) is an audio-recorded conversation with the filmmakers reminiscing on the production and sharing various anecdotes
• Still Galleries (2160p)
• Trailer (2160p) is 2022 re-release preview

Blu-ray Disc

• Inside The Proposition (1080i/50, 43 min)
• The Making of The Proposition (1080i/50, 27 min)
• Shooting The Proposition (1080i/50, 25 min)
• Interview (1080i/50, 14 min) with Guy Pearce
• Interview (1080i/50, 8 min) with Danny Huston
• Still Galleries (HD, 4 min)
• Trailers (1080i/50)

A captivating and weighty character study on justice and our intrinsic need for retribution, John Hillcoat's The Proposition is a masterfully told morality tale from the imagination of Nick Cave, and the film is, frankly, a masterpiece of the western genre that brilliantly negotiates between other contemplative themes. Courtesy of BFI Video, the Hillcoat-Cave collaboration arrives on 4K Ultra HD with a beautiful Dolby Vision HDR presentation, offering a welcomed step-up from its Blu-ray predecessor. The video is accompanied by an equally satisfying DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack and an excellent assortment of bonus material that includes a 78-page book and a reversible poster. The two-disc UHD package is highly recommended.

All disc reviews at High-Def Digest are completed using the best consumer HD home theater products currently on the market. More about the gear used for this review.