Quigley Down Under | | Cast : | Tom Selleck, Laura San Giacomo, Alan Rickman | | Director : | Simon Wincer | | Studio : | Mgm/Ua Studios | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | October 19, 1990 | | DVD Released Date : | September 04, 2001 | | Language : | Spanish (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 21, 2005 | | Summary | The American Wild West Meets The Aboriginal Dreamtime | Content
 | An American sharpshooter (Tom Selleck) with a powerful, experimental rifle takes to the high seas in the late 1800's and sails across the Atlantic Ocean to Australia. His name is Matthew Quigley and he has been hired by Elliot Marston (Alan Rickman) to rid the wealthy landowner down under of the numerous packs of dingos (wild dogs) attacking his livestock. At Least that's what Quigley thinks he's being hired to do.
Shortly after arriving on this foreign shore Quigley learns the horrible truth about his assignment. The cruel and despotic Marston doesn't like Aborgines wandering through across his land and has decided to solve the problem by exterminating them. Quigley has been hired to carry out the job. His refusal to take the job marks the beginning of an epic battle between Marston and his men against Quigley as he fights to defend the indigenous population.
Action/Adventure in its truest tradition, with the lines clearly drawn between the forces of good and evil. You will find yourself rooting out loud for the "good guy" before the movie is through!
Along with the typical action sequences you expect to find in a good Western, there are also plenty of poignant and sad moments which center around both the plight of the aboriginal culture and the personal tragedy shared by Crazy Cora with Quigley in one of the most tender moments of the movie.
Great performances by all. Tom Selleck was born to play this role and anyone familiar with Alan Rickman knows that nobody is better at playing the "bad guy" than he is. And let's not forget Laura San Giacomo as Crazy Cora who supplies both the comic relief and eventual love interest of Matthew Quigley.
This was a tremendously original concept for a film which was carried out to perfection. This is not only one of my favorite Westerns, but one of my all-time favorite films. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 18, 2005 | | Summary | Quite boring | Content
| This is one of those movies that's so boring it's a chore to watch. I'm just seeing snippets between internet surfing and reading. Selleck looks okay, but he just doesn't have what it takes to carry this kind of film. Far as I'm concerned, his show was a bore too. The only memorable part is some disturbing footage of the young lady shooting a pack of dingos and that was painful to watch. The stuff with the aborigines - just the usual pile of Hollywood dung.
I recomend this movie for people who are infatuated with Tom Selleck. There seems to be quite a few of them. Everyone else should find a real western to watch. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 01, 2005 | | Summary | I'm still amazed I'm giving it five stars | Content
| This movie was fun with a great setting. Tom Selleck took his role research seriously and Laura San Giacomo was memorable as the crazy whore with the sad secret. Alan Rickman was well cast as the deplorable rich landowner with the sniveling bravado and the posse of cruel but incompetent mercenaries. The scenes of Aboriginal magic were very well done--eerie, yet with a feeling of integrity that threw the greed of some of the white men in the movie into perfect contrast.
The ending was very satisfying. I was amazed to check myself and find how totally absorbed I'd become. Since I'd started off the movie guffawing sarcastically at Tom Selleck swaggering off the ship in his Quigley sharpshooter gear, I chalk it up to good storytelling to say I was a changed woman as the last scene rolled.
I was also gratified to see that they really did film it on location, near Alice Springs, rather than an American desert or Hollywood back lot; and the shore scenes were done in Victoria--which is a long way from Fremantle, WA (Western Australia) but at least it was still on the Australian continent. |
| Rating | | | Date | February 13, 2005 | | Summary | One Of The Best Modern Westerns | Content
| Although Clint Eastwood and Kevin Costner are probably considered the top modern Western moviemakers, Tom Selleck can't be ignored as perhaps the most active of the bunch. He has taken a film genre that many consider a has-been and made it a staple of cable television. Just turn on TNT or TBS on the weekend and you're guaranteed to see at least one Western on with Selleck in it. He has become a staple of the genre, as well as a top spokesman for the cowboy way(not to mention the NRA, huh Rosie O'Donnell?)
Selleck made this gem for the big screen about fifteen years earlier than this writing. It stands as one of the last major Westerns released on the big screen that actually found some success. It isn't as realistic as "Open Range," isn't as funny like "Silverado," and doesn't stand up to greats like "Tombstone" and "Unforgiven." What it does manage to do is give the viewer a great tale of the really wild, waaaay southwest(at least of Texas)about a sharpshooting Wyoming cowboy hired to hunt dingos on a ranch in Australia. When he arrives down under, he finds out the dingos are actually Aborigines who seem to be in the way of Alan Rickman's progress on his ranch. Rickman plays the wicked ranch baron to a tee. He is supported by a wonderful cast of bad guys who range from Irish to Scotch in background. Selleck's character, Matthew Quigley, decides that he has to help the Aborigines gain their freedom from Rickman. Along the way he picks up a "not all there" prostitute(Laura San Giacomo) who eventually becomes his love interest. The tale is quite captivating, and the acting is superb.
The action in the film is wonderful to watch. Quigley's first interaction with his co-workers at the dock is rather John Wayne-like, but that only adds to the film. The scenery is both beautiful and dangerous.
In all, this western will fit in perfectly with any other title in the genre. Although I think Selleck has made better Westerns, "Monte Walsh" comes to mind, this film is very good and I promise that it won't let you down. If you're in the mood for a good Western set in the wilds of Australia, "Quigley Down Under" is the best choice.
Highly recommended. |
| Rating | | | Date | January 27, 2005 | | Summary | Simply wonderful | Content
| Tom Selleck shines in this movie as a marksman who comes to Australia as the finest long range rifleman in the world. Instead of just doing the shooting, we see him reading the wind, judging distance and putting thought into the shot before pressing the trigger on the Sharps 45-120. We see the results of a long range shot, two men are taken down towards the end of the movie from great distance, being hit before the sound of the rifle arrives. Probably the best line of the whole movie is at the end, when Selleck tells Rickman, "I said I never had much use for one (a revolver), I never said I didn't know how to use one." This fits the bill of a true rifleman: a handgun is what you use to fight your way to your rifle. Quigley never had much use for a handgun because he was aware of his surroundings, avoided trouble, and eliminated any threat before it got too close to him. |
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