Quigley Down Under (1990)

This is a bit a twist: a western in which the setting is Australia, not the United States. Yet, the film features two American characters, played by Tom Selleck and Laura San Giacomo. It's a simple, well-done revenge story with a nice slow-developing romance as the subplot. Meanhile, Alan Rickman, who was good at this sort of thing, plays the hated, despicable villain.

The movie is appealing because it has a good mixture of action (and that is mixed, too, not just the same kind of fistfights or gun battles), romance, nice scenery and a little comedy thrown in. There's also a little PC thrown in as the good guys help out the downtrodden Aborigines, victims of racism by Rickman and his henchmen.

Warning: this a rough film in parts with a couple of harrowing scenes, such as people being pushed off cliffs, Selleck brutally beaten several times and wild vicious dingoes threatening San Giacamo and a little baby, but the action never goes on too long.

All in all, I found it one of the more memorable westerns I've watched. If for nothing else, the awesome sound of Selleck's Sharp Calibre .44 rifle makes this film hard to forget.

Fmovies: I loved this movie!

Ex-Confederate officer Matthew Quigley immigrates to Australia to forget the horrors he has recently witnessed. He was hired in advance by the owner of the Marsten Waters Ranch. When he arrives, things are definitely not what he expected due to the fawning treatment he receives from Marsten that comes with the request that he carry out a program of racial purity...

Selleck's performance as Quigley is first rate. I easily believed that although Quigley had watched more than his share of Man's Inhumanity, yet he managed to hang onto his integrity. The character finds himself in a situation where his own actions can transform the circumstances for better. He did not go looking for a fight, but by God, he will finish this one.

Even so, the character of Crazy Cora is my favorite. She is the victim of cruelty also but did not fare as well as Quigley. She is damaged goods, unable to take care of herself in any significant way when the story opens. In the course of the story, she is the one who recovers her Humanity. It is really her story as much as Quigley's.

An excellent movie. Simon Sez check it out.

Those who haven't grown up with Wayne or Eastwood should take a fair glance at QUIGLEY DOWN UNDER, an excellent recreation of vintage cowboy movies with brilliant qualities that make a traditional standard among others. With modern styling, this will grow on you if Westerns haven't been your brand. It deserves high merits for top-notch costuming, make-up, and scenery that gets all dusty and brown. Acting is extremely well done, considering the late stage it's in. "Crazy Cora" is a cheerful rendition to lady-pokes everywhere in Western cinema, and one who keeps calling "Roy" all the time, plus Tom Selleck shows us what a true cowboy should be like. The orchestrated music will stick to your mind in years to come. One familiar old problem that Westerns would normally have is being more like the rest of them, but then again, this film provides testimony that there is great need of reviving the Western genre, which would still be hard to appease today. Highly recommended!

Quigley Down Under fmovies. 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.

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.

I've been watching Westerns for some 60 years and Quigley Down Under rates in my top 5 along with Unforgiven, The Wild Bunch, The Outlaw Jose Wales and Once Upon a Time in the West. I've watched it 6 times and haven't tired of it yet. The musical score is superb, great story line and beautiful cinematography. Excellent performances by Selleck, Giacomo and Rickman.

Insofar as Quigley's marksmanship goes, there is nothing in the movie rifle shots that are not realistic as far as I'm concerned. During the Civil War, a Whitworth rifle with a telescopic sight had an effective range of 1800 yards and the exploits of Truman "California Joe" Head with his Sharps were lengendary in his own time. Even the Civil War Enfield was fairly accurate to 1100 yards. Given a Sharps with a custom load to match the rifle, it's a matter of familiarity, eyesight (preferably 20/10 or better), practice and reading the wind, the latter of which was shown prior to Quigley's demonstration to Marston and is by far the biggest variable in long range rifle shots. In short, anyone who is an excellent rifle or pistol shot is unbelievable. Check out Bob Munden's .45 Colt demonstrations. Blink and you've missed some of single or double shot feats. Literally!

That's not to say that Quigley is not a mythical character in the movie but no more so than Wild Bill Hickcok, Wyatt Earp or Bat Masterson came to be, usually for only one incident in their lives.

This is a 5 star Western if there ever was one. Can't recommend it too highly.