Quigley Down Under

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | Release Date: October 19, 1990

CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION

51	METASCORE Mixed or average reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews

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Critic Reviews

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Staff (Not Credited)

Quigley Down Under is an exquisitely crafted, rousing western made in Oz. Read full review

Ellen Futterman

The sweeping scenery, made even more thrilling by Basil Poledouris' score, makes up for the slow moments. And Selleck and Rickman are equally convincing in their respective roles as the undisputed good guy and bad. [19 Oct 1990, p.3F]

Staff (Not Credited)

Aussie director Wincer handles the action convincingly, and Rickman's splendidly snide villain is a real treat. Read full review

Roger Ebert

Quigley Down Under is a handsome film, well-acted, and it's a shame the filmmakers didn't spend a little more energy on making it smarter and more original. Read full review

Hal Hinson

What's missing in Quigley Down Under is precisely what is missing in its star. Selleck is a skilled light comedian -- he's at his best delivering a wry put-down to a British officer -- and he handles John Hill's bantering dialogue deftly. But for all his burly authority, Selleck lacks dynamism on screen. There's no danger in him, nothing unresolved or mysterious. He's likable, but something of a lug. Read full review

EmpireMark Cooper

This film falls down in it's attempts to do everything at once, so that a potentially horrific scenario is often played out to comic effect. It doesn't quite work and the film manages to undermine itself. Read full review

Janet Maslin

The director, Simon Wincer, makes Quigley Down Under an unapologetic homage to the formula western at its most pokey, complete with Wagon Train-style score. All things considered, this could be a lot worse. Read full review

Peter Rainer

A film with an intriguing premise and likable performances but not much excitement. [13 Oct 1990, p.F13]

Michael Upchurch

There must be dozens of film buffs out there with an unsatisfied hankering for Cinemascope Westerns. It's too bad, then, that Quigley Down Under fits the label, but doesn't deliver the goods.

Ryan Murphy

Deadly dull and as wooden as a hitching post, Quigley is set in the Australian outback where the mercury often tops 100 degrees, but there's no heat in this movie, no spark of ingenuity or life. [20 Oct 1990, p.E4]

TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)

Another failed attempt to make Tom Selleck a movie star, this is a handsomely mounted but vapid western that lumbers across the screen for two hours, providing little entertainment. Read full review

Owen Gleiberman

Vapid, cutesy, knockabout Western. Read full review