Quigley Down Under (1990)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Simon Wincer

Writer (WGA):

John Hill (written by)

Release Date:

19 October 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Western | Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

The West was never this far west...The Emmy Award-winning director of "Lonesome Dove" puts the classic Western back where it was meant to be, on the big screen...in a place it's never been before.

Plot:

Sharpshooter Matt Quigley is hired from Montana by an Australian rancher paying a very high price. But when Quigley arrives Down Under, all is not as it seems.

Plot Keywords:

Evil Landowner | Australia | Australian Western | Employment | Australian Aborigine

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Tom Selleck	...	Matthew Quigley
Laura San Giacomo	...	Crazy Cora
Alan Rickman	...	Elliott Marston
Chris Haywood	...	Major Ashley-Pitt
Ron Haddrick	...	Grimmelman
Tony Bonner	...	Dobkin
Jerome Ehlers	...	Coogan
Conor McDermottroe	...	Hobb
Roger Ward	...	Brophy
Ben Mendelsohn	...	O'Flynn
Steve Dodd	...	Kunkurra
Karen Davitt	...	Slattern
Kylie Foster	...	Slattern
William Zappa	...	Reilly
Jonathan Sweet	...	Sergeant Thomas

Also Known As:

Quigley (Australia)
Quigley Down Under (Australia)

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

Australia | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Argentina:16 | France:U | Australia:M | Sweden:15 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia

Company:

Pathé Entertainment

Trivia:

The infamous gun that is used by the main character Matthew Quigley is a replica model 1874 Sharps Buffalo Rifle.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Quigley and Crazy Cora are taken to a camp by the native Aboriginal people. There they chant and play a Didgeridoo. In this part of Australia, Western and Central there are no didgeridoos. The Yirdaki and Mago Didgeridoo are endemic to only Arnhem Land. In the Western part they use Mago, in the North East part they use Yirdaki. This is at the very northern part of Australia, in a small delimited area. When this scene was cited to have taken place none of the the central and western Aboriginal Australians, namely in the desert, used a Didgeridoo in playing music. Only in later times has it spread more though out Australia.

Quotes:

Elliott Marston: Ah ha. Legendary Sharps.
Matthew Quigley: You know your weapons. It's a lever-action, breech loader. Usual barrel length's thirty inches. This one has an extra four. It's converted to use a special forty-five caliber, hundred and ten grain metal cartridge, with a five-hundred forty grain paper patch bullet. It's fitted with double set triggers, and a Vernier sight. It's marked up to twelve-hundred yards. This one shoots a mite further.
Elliott Marston: An experimental weapon with experimental ammunition.
Matthew Quigley: You could call it that.
Elliott Marston: Let's experiment.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Red Zone Cuba (#7.19)" (1994)

Wonderful Western and message film all in one.

I was weaned on westerns and so after a while you get numb by the vast amount of bad ones done over the years.I always thought a `twist'gives a western something more,a `hook'if you will.This IS such a flick.It is also fair to say I am NOT a huge Tom Selleck fan.That being said I think this has become one of my top 5 favorite westerns ever and top 10 movies of all time.The hook is the Outback and this twist is right on target.The Aborigine are the Indians and we have the evil land owner in Alan Rickman and the `Lady'in Laura San Giacomo.In Lieu of the Mexican Army we have the English.A interesting Rifle to rival a artillery piece or Gattling gun for interest. The basic story is again,good vs evil and redemption via true love.Tried and true western themes,but this Outback setting is the new hook that makes it well done. Fine vast action theme music and a down hill chase via horseback that is a classic.It had to be well shoot and filmed and it was.The ending had a `mystical'setting not seen in westerns but a staple of the Aborigine mystique if you will. The movie also serves to bring light to the shameful treating of the Aborigine in Australia that climaxed only in the last 20 years.A dirty secret only hinted at of the policy in force until the late 1960s of removing Aboriginal children from their families.A touching scene with Laura San Giacomo and a small Aborigine child hammer this home on no uncertain terms.This film works on so many levels it should be recognized as a Aborigine in Australia `message' film set to western theme.I cannot say enough and recommend this film to everyone.You will not be sorry.