It’s the old west, in Australia, as American sharpshooter Matthew Quigley (played by Tom Selleck) arrives in the land down under to help a landowner fend off wild dogs. At least that is what he believes he’s been hired to do as he arrives there with only a saddle and his six-foot long Sharps rifle. Quickly learning the real reason for being hired to be on Marston’s (played by Alan Rickman) ranch, Quigley finds himself being put into a fight between a ruthless rancher and Australian inhabitants the Aborigines. With the only help coming from the woman Crazy Cora (played by Laura San Giacomo), Quigley must use his wits and skill of shooting to survive the cruel and deadly lands of the Australian Outback.

I THINK I WAS BORN ON THE WRONG CONTINENT:
Quigley Down Under has a very simple plot, cowboy who is the deadly shot has to fight the evil rancher where the odds of him winning the fight are near none. It’s the overly used plot of almost all westerns and it works for a reason, it’s always fun to watch a movie where the underdog wins. Quigley Done Under has one slight difference between all the other movies with this plot, it’s based in Australia. Not such a big difference, but it is one that makes the movie have a edge on it, it’s different.

Being set in Australia it has taken the main character, Quigley, who is American, and put him in a location that he has no knowledge about. While at home in America he was this sharp shooter that could spend time out in the wilds with no problem, but in Australia he is out of his element and it shows but it won’t stop him from doing what is right. Tom Selleck was a good pick because he plays a great tough guy but one that hasn’t let being tough go to his head. This character makes you like him because you know he is going to win whatever fight he will be put in no matter the odds, even when the Queens army stands against him. He also has a good sense for humor. The annoyance he gets from being called Roy all the time is funny, the dry remarks he gives when confronting Marston, Tom Selleck plays the role of Quigley well.

Quigley Down Under might not be a movie with an original plot but it’s a fun movie to watch with it’s smart characters, the witty dialog, and the fresh locations of Australia. I like how the violence in this movie has a good balance to it. There’s a lot of death being shown happening, from the shootings to the villains of the movie making the Aborigines fall from a cliff, none of it is gratuitous. There’s no showing of guts hanging out, no gushing of blood, none of what seems to be shown in movies during present times, just enough to show that these are not nice guys and there is death happening. Quigley Down Under is not a inspirational movie but it did have me rooting for the character Quigley to win the day. There’s also a good resemblance between what happened to the American Indians and what is happening to the Aborigines in the movie. It can show how people can be both very cruel and mean while also being very good and helpful to others. Quigley Down Under has a good heart in it’s plot of trying to help a group of people that are being hurt by others. It’s a good movie with a good plot, good acting, and good development.

90’S WESTERN ON BLU RAY:
Being that this movie came out in 1990 I figured it might look somewhat decent on the Blu Ray. I should have known better from past experience in watching these older movies on Blu Ray because there’s no improvement. There’s not much noise in the picture but it’s there and can be seen but the picture don’t look as sharp as what a Blu Ray can be. This Blu Ray was nothing impressive at all, though I liked the movie, the look of it remains the same as most DVD quality movies.