Quigley Down Under

Tom Selleck stars as Wyoming sharpshooter Matthew Quigley who arrives in Australia having been hired by land baron Elliott Marston (Alan Rickman). After discovering Marston wants Quigley to use his skills, and his experimental rifle, to hunt Aboriginal Australians, Quigley not-so-politely declines leading to him being left for dead in the Outback with a half-crazed woman locals refer to as Crazy Cora (Laura San Giacomo) whom constantly refers to Quigley as Roy.

Although it gets quite dark in the middle third focusing on Marston's brutal hunting of the Aborigines and Cora's tragic past (which leads to an overall uneven tone), Quigley Down Under is an often fun, albeit sometimes perplexing, swashbuckling Western focused on the unstoppable Quigley eventually working his way back to Marston while also growing to understand, and accept, the root cause of Cora's madness which she's able to overcome in a pivotal moment saving a small child from a pack of wild dingoes.

While fine in the role of villain, this is one of Rickman's least memorable performances and it doesn't help that this various henchmen are equally forgettable as little more than cannon fodder for Quigley. The script's not-so-subtle social commentary also sadly undercuts the momentum of both the film's action and comedy. That said, Selleck is still well-cast in the role providing a bit of heart and wit behind Quigley's quick-trigger and steely gaze.

Original conceived as a vehicle for Steve McQueen, before the star's death, the Western was shot at more than 50 locations across Australia. Although finding no great success in theaters or with critics during it's release in 1990, and falling far short of the star-making vehicle Selleck was hoping for, the film became a perennial cable favorite in the 35 years that followed while also being released on DVD, Blu-ray, and eventually even 4K and later finding life on several streaming services as well.

Quigley's customized Sharps rifle (which he would later donate to the National Firearms Museum), is arguably as big of a star as Selleck. And the film has garnered a bit of a legacy with pop culture coining the term of killing two targets with a single bullet as "a Quigley." Also of note is the film's Silverado-esque score by Basil Poledouris who scored a varitey of films in the 80s and 90s including Conan the Barbarian, Iron Eagle, RoboCop, The Hunt for Red October, and Free Willy.

• Title: Quigley Down Under
• IMDb: link