Quigley Down Under

Quigley Down Under is currently streaming in Australia on MGM Amazon Channel, and in the US on Philo and Hoopla, and it rewards the patience it asks of you. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Watch it for Tom Selleck — one of the stronger performances out there right now. Available now on MGM Amazon Channel — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Quigley Down Under is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. The writing in Quigley Down Under treats its characters as people first, plot devices second. American Matt Quigley answers Australian land baron Elliott Marston's ad for a sharpshooter to kill the dingoes on his property. But when Quigley finds out that Marston's real target is the aborigines, Quigley hits the road. Now, even American expatriate Crazy Cora can't keep Quigley safe in his cat-and-mouse game with the homicidal Marston. Tom Selleck and Laura San Giacomo lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1990. Quigley Down Under resists tidy resolutions in a way that respects how messy real consequences actually are. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

For anyone looking for storytelling that takes its characters seriously, Quigley Down Under delivers. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Tom Selleck is the centre of it, and it is one of their strongest performances on record. The patience it asks of you early on is paid back with interest.