Mr Quigley l'Australien

Quigley Down Under

No one shoots like this off set. Everyone misses shots now and then. I prefer screen writing that reflects real life. For example, in the western "Unforgiven", actor Clint Eastwood tries several times to hit a can with his six gun, then uses his shotgun with better results. Acting, shooting, stunts, and photography are well done. Supporting actors such as ranch hands and aboriginals do a good job, as does the bad guy, rancher Marston. Giacomo saves the movie from its unbelievability by providing romantic interest and comedy as the mad woman in need of rescue by the handsome hero. So, "Quigley Down Under" is passable as comedy.

I've noticed that with the larger box office movies with a ton of reviews, you really have to scroll down through the reviews to get to the "honest" ones. The piles of dung that receive nines and tens are absurd. I can only think of a mere handful of movies worthy of that sort of praise, and they're thrown around on here like confetti at a wedding. Anyway, this is no 10, 9, 8 or even 7, which isn't to say there are some genuinely enjoyable moments throughout. The Australian vistas and landscapes are stunning-wish we got more of them. The production is top notch, and the era the film is set in seems adequately captured. The sailing ship at the beginning was absolutely beautiful. This film needed more Alan screen time, and a lot less Laura screen time. She was definitly a rather annoying distraction, yet still eye candy in a way. I like her, but she was miscast here. I think her whole character was completely unnecessary, actually. Just my take. She really added nothing worthwhile to the script other than a pretty smile. There's a fine line portraying someone as bit slow/nuts and outright dumber than wood. She ended up being wooden to a fault. Plus her "condition", never fully explained, came and went at will it seems. The aboriginals were portrayed in typical Hollywood fashion, but had an authenticity and manner that was one hundred percent believable. The problem I had with this movie was it's tendency to slip into farcical slapstick, complete with Keystone Cops music and everything. All this managed to do was remind the viewer that it was only a movie, and didn't let me get immersed into a plot was really rather gripping in concept. Of course there's the ever present plot holes and eye rolling yeah right that would never happen stuff which is to be expected. Tom Selleck. Forever Magnum. Here he was Magnum on a horse rather than a Ferrari. I realize it's not his fault he's type-cast forever, but it's impossible for me to watch anything with him in it and not see Magnum. That's probably a fault of mine but can't be helped. Drags in the middle, and I mean drags and drags. It's good enough for what it is I suppose, but falls short of it was striving to be I'm sure. But the majority of the viewing public eats this stuff up like cake, so I think in that regard it was successful. If it appeals to the masses it has to be dumbed down a degree, and directors know that. After all they're in it to make money, not please everyone. More discerning viewers will recognize that as the average dramedy it is. Normally this would get a 5 for plot, cinematography, Alan's acting and Laura's beauty. But sometimes a rating needs to balance out the ludicrous and unwarranted praise heoped upon such contrived titles with ham fisted directing.

Tom Selleck was born to be in westerns. He just fits perfectly as a cowboy. He is the backbone of this movie, making the PC nature a little more palatable. A less actor would come off as preachy or dull. His antagonist is none other than Alan Rickman who always brings depth to villains. His character is underwritten, but Alan matches Tom in presence. Laura San Giacomo receives good reviews for this movie, but she annoys me. There is something fake about her smile to me. She is a convincing wacko though. The score soars thanks to Basil Poledouris who should be more famous. His work brings the movie to life such as after Quigley is dumped in the desert for dead. I love the piece of music that plays as Quigley prepares to fire on his dwindling target. The simple story may bore more elaborate or action minded audiences, but this is a rare western in these days and a keeper in any time. *Quigley: I said I didn't have much use for one, didn't say I didn't know how to use it.*

As an Australian I was a little reticent before watching this movie. Hollywood often goes overboard when it comes Down Under and tries to capture our old west. However, I was pleasantly surprised at the whole movie... the characters were believeable and Sellick was just right. Of course our magnificent outback scenery almost stole the show. The only uncomfortable thing was the portrayal of the treatment of Aboriginals, something none of us can be proud of, but it was a different age and different people. But the movie showed it like it was, and for that alone this movie should be compulsory viewing for Australians. Sellick was spot on when he told the British Major that his country (the US) had thrown the undesirables out... all the way back to England. Not only a great western but a good history lesson as well. Well worth the effort.

I'm not really sure if this falls in the "Western" genre, but I think it's pretty much the closest genre it would fit into. I've never really been into westerns, but there is something about this one. It's a really good movie! Tom Selleck does a great job as Matthew Quigley. There really isn't enough I can say about Alan Rickman! He always plays the perfect antagonist! Maybe it's his voice, maybe it's the way he acts, I'm not sure, but all I know is that he is a great actor! Laura San Giacomo does a good job in the film too. Her character was a very strange one put in the film, but there is a reason for her strangeness. She does a fine job in the film too. The story in this film is really quite simple and nothing terribly complicated, but it's really good and has a good moral to it. If you're the type of person that likes Westerns, then I would hope you would like this one too. Not only is it a western, but it's got a good amount of comedy in it too. Anyhow, I would definitely recommend seeing this film if you haven't already. I hope that you like the film as much as I do. Thanks for reading, -Chris

I can't believe that this film has an average rating. Poor Tom Selleck smiles grimly as he stars in this predictable plod through cliché, stereotype and mawkish sentimentality. Laura San Giacommo's character is as 2-dimensional as the paper the script was written on. She tries to compensate for this by overacting wildly, which only makes her character less appealing. In the scene where Cora collapses in the outback, Quigley retrieves the cartridge belt that she was carrying for him then walks off, stops, looks pained and goes back to pick her up. I was willing Quigley to just carry on walking after he'd got his cartridge belt and leave the annoying shouty woman to the dingos. Alan Rickman has the sole entertaining role in this movie, playing a thoroughly unpleasant rancher. Unfortunately, he's only on screen for about 15 minutes! Everyone apart from Quigley gets a rough deal in this film. The Irish and Scottish ex-convicts are all mercenary scum, The English are all ruthless imperialists and the Aborigines are all little "Noble Savage" cut-outs. By the way, I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure that a perfectly circular 3-inch grouping at 900 yards is impossible, whatever rifle you have in your hands. Trying to hit a bucket at about 300 yards is roughly the equivalent of trying to shoot the head off a match at 10 yards. I suppose that's possible if you have a modern sniper rifle with a telescopic sight and a bipod... You should have ditched "Magnum" and gone for "Raiders of The Lost Ark", Tom.

This movie isn't the best Western ever made, but it's a solid creative effort that brings out many of that genre's most appealing aspects. It has romance, gunplay, wonderful scenery, and, most importantly, a solid hero and a solid villain. Westerns are, by nature, a morality tale. There's a Good Guy and a Bad Guy, and in the end, the hero prevails through a combination of courage, fair play, and ingenuity. And that's exactly what happens here. The three principal characters are Quigley, an American sharpshooter hired by an Australian rancher, Marsden, and Crazy Cora, a woman shipped off to Australia by her ex-husband after accidentally suffocating her baby to keep him quiet while hiding from raiding Comanches. Quigley (Tom Selleck) is an expert long range marksman who has been recruited ostensibly to shoot dingoes, but, as he finds out after his first night with Mr. Marsden (Alan Rickman), his real targets are to be local Aboriginies. This leads to a rather violent falling out between the two men, which sets up the basic conflict in the movie. Marsden wants Quigley dead, and has numerous ranchhands to get the job done. Quigley has the shooting skills that allow him to pick off Marden's men pretty much at will. An uncredited "star" of the film is Quigley's Sharp's .45 calibre rifle, a gun so accurate it can kill a man from nearly a mile away. Anyway, the movie proceeds in a more or less conventional fashion. After a big fistfight at Marsden's ranchhouse, Quigley and Cora are left for dead in the Australian outback. They are rescued by a band of Aboriginies, then quickly return the favor by picking off Marsden's men as they try to massacre more Aboriginies. Along the way, Quigley slowly falls for Cora. She may be nuts, but she's also charming, resourceful, brave, and beautiful. In the end, Marsden gets what he deserves. Cora regains her sanity. And Quigley gets both the villain and the girl. Like I said, it's a Western in the classic tradition - well told and with great visuals. 8/10

The first western I ever saw, QUIGLEY DOWN UNDER is my favorite. It's a great homage to the classic westerns of the past, with all the best elements combined in a fun movie about one man's fight against an evil land baron who (unknown to the hero) wanted to hire him to kill the local Aborigines, not the dingos as the hero originally thought. Tom Selleck ads another top-notch western to his resume, long with THE SACKETTS, THE SHADOW RIDERS, and the more-recent CROSSFIRE TRAIL. Alan Rickman is great as the bad guy, one of those characters you love to hate, and the beautiful Laura San Giacomo is a perfect western girl, whose (thankfully) is not the kind who becomes kidnapped and must be rescued. In fact, she spends a good deal of the film away from the action, caring for an Aborigine baby who was the only survivor of a tribe massacre earlier in the film. Director Simon Wincer proves what a genius he is at making westerns. He gets the most from everything, from the costumes to the performances, from the sweeping panoramic shots of the Australian outback to Basil Poledouris's lush score. And of course, no review of QUIGLEY would be complete without mentioning that awesome Sharps rifle. I cringe every time that wonderful rifle is thrown to the ground by Rickman. Glad to see that a DVD release is on the way, though it appears to be sorely lacking in the bonus features department. Anybody who likes westerns should check this film out. It's pretty family-friendly, too, with no harsh swearing and violence that never gets bloody or glorified.

Underseen western which , after a few theatrical misfires (though I also enjoyed him in High Road to China), gave Tom Selleck a role which suited him perfectly. A role which, as a previous comment stated, John Wayne would have been right at home in. It can be argued that this is just a politically correct revisionist western wherein the American witnesses injustices on aborginals in a foreign land and is outraged to action despite the utter mistreatment of native Indians during this same period back home. Some may say it is so, but I prefer to think of Quigley as a man who came to Australia BECAUSE of the injustices he's known back home and is looking perhaps for something better. Selleck represents, as did John Wayne, the decent and noble side of America, and there is no doubt that this is a man given to stand up and do the right thing no matter where he is, Wyoming or Fremantle. This aside, Quigley succeeds most as a light romance amidst the traditional shoot em up scenario. In fact, the love story is what drives it along most and provides it's most special moments. During a heartfelt speech beside the campfire, Cora relates how heartbreaking it was for her to have her Husband Roy, who blamed her for the death of their child, put her on a ship to Australia and walk away from her life not looking back. This is what matters to her most, as it matters to Quigley that she call him by his right name or he won't share his bed. When presented with their first parting, Quigley leaves Cora and the Aborigine baby in the cave and though assuring her he will return for her he rides away, without stopping to look back. This is mere oversight on his part and it leads to the most moving scene in the film, one which never fails to bring a tear to my eye - when they are again about to be parted she asks him "I'll never see you again, Will I". He can't say because of what's ahead for him, but he puts his hand on her cheek and says "You sure look pretty in the morning sun". As he mounts his horse and rides off Cora watches after him wondering, as we are wondering, if he'll stop and look back. And then he does. It's one of the most thoughtful and emotionally fleeting moments in movie history. Too bad it hasn't been seen and appreciated by more people. The musical score, by Basil Poledouris, is also a treat and it hits all the right notes. His score for Conan the Barbarian is an acknowledged classic but here I think he goes a step better. It truly is a nice piece of music to hear amid the action and quieter moments. Quigley is a very good modern day western. It won't fail to entertain and it must surely be a film which both men and women can enjoy together. If they made more of these kinds of movies I definitely wouldn't complain.