This is interesting. And incredibly simple. It seems like some of the most satisfying things in the arts are both interesting and simple. 'Quigley Down Under' is a western set in Australia. Starring Tom Selleck as Matthew Quigley, the story splits very neatly into two strands of his visit to Australia as a new employee of rancher Marston, as played by Alan Rickman. Actually the neatness of the two strands is what really makes this film interesting, as either one by itself would be unfulfilling. So let's break it down.
Ace marksman Matthew Quigley answers an ad and goes to Australia to investigate a job opportunity with Marston. On the way to the ranch with Marston's hands and some new pleasure women, he is adopted by one of those women, Crazy Cora. Taking her under his wing as protection from the ranchers, he discovers Marston's real reason to recruit him and his experimental long range rifle: Extermination of the aboriginal people. Revolting and attacking Marston and his henchmen, he gets battered and dragged out to die in the desert with the deranged Cora, where the movie takes off. From then on the two stories are Quigley's relationship with Cora as played by a lovely Laura San Giacomo and his quest to bring Marston down.
The relationship between Quigley and Cora is actually very touching as their ordeal together and witnessing of the persecution of the aboriginals slowly brings her back to sanity and helps her to come to terms with her own personal trauma. The quest to bring down Marston is less interesting but is a necessary contrast to the more personal Cora strand. Rickman does his usual serviceable job as the villain but is really wasted by the script. If you have Rickman as the villain you really need to use him more! Selleck does a good job but you can never buy him as implacable. He plays angry well, and maybe determinedly angry, but not ruthlessly implacable. It's really hard for Tom Selleck to overcome his innate screen niceness. Giacomo is excellent as Cora and it's a shame that her unconventional looks didn't win her a movie career. In many ways the combination of Quigley and Cora is one of the better pairings in movies that I've seen. She has the cutest teeth.
I'm making a habit of positive reviews... Blast!
In many ways this movie is an old-fashioned Western, a throwback to a simpler time, and it works well. As a marksman, Quigley's action scenes are pretty tame as he's most effective at a distance from his enemies, but it's believable. The aboriginal scenes are touching and the persecutions are torturous, and it all leads naturally and organically to the preordained showdown. There are some really nice touches that make this is a solid movie, most notably the shooting physics. I like that we see a delay in the bullet reaching its target, that's awesome, and the understated performances, and the fact that Marston is not such a horrible man that he's a cartoon. It's all well balanced. The music is incredible, if a bit too repetitive, and Basil Poledouris should have earned plaudits aplenty. Let's hope he did.
In summary, 'Quigley Down Under' is a very solid Western movie, not excellent but solid. In these days solid is the new excellent, and I like this film. The acting is well done, the direction is excellent, the music is good, and the Cora story and character arc is touching and almost ends in the rare non-resolution. It's a good movie. I like it.
O.
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