Quigley Down Under *** (1990, Tom Selleck, Laura San Giacomo, Alan Rickman, Chris Haywood) – Classic Movie Review 7100

Director Simon Wincer’s enjoyable 1990 middle-of-the-road Aussie Western stars Tom Selleck as high, wide and handsome American cowboy adventurer and sharpshooter Matt Quigley, who is hired from Wyoming by black-hearted, villainous Australian rancher Elliott Marston (Alan Rickman).

So Quigley goes Down Under and soon clashes with Marston, who wants him to shoot aborigines at a distance. When Quigley quits, Marston tries to kill him. After Quigley rescues Crazy Cora (Laura San Giacomo) and aborigines help them, the hero sets out to destroy the bad guys.

Selleck makes an attractive, swaggering action hero, while an outrageous, lip-smacking Rickman spares no effort in his (successful) attempt to steal every scene. It is good to find the routine Western is back in business, even if it is Australian. The business-like actors, John Hill’s run-of-the-range screenplay and those great Aussie wide-open spaces are handled in a lively, entertaining fashion by director Wincer, turning out a thoroughly likeable movie.

Also in the cast are Chris Haywood, Ron Haddrick, Tony Bonner, Jerome Ehlers, Conor McDermottroe, Roger Ward and Ben Mendelsohn.

Quigley Down Under is directed by Simon Wincer, runs 120 minutes, is made by Pathé, released by MGM, is written by John Hill, is shot by David Eggby, is produced by Stanley O’Toole and Alexandra Rose, is scored by Basil Poledouris and is designed by Ross Major.

Wincer got the job as the Emmy Award-winning director of Lonesome Dove (1989).

RIP the greatly loved and admired, much missed Alan Rickman, who died on 14 January 2016, aged 69. He was voted British Actor of the Year at the London Critics Circle Film Awards (1992) for Close My Eyes, Truly Madly Deeply and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7100

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