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Was Quigley Down Under Based on A True Story?

By Jay Coffin

The quick answer is no, Quigley Down Under is not based on a true story. It is, however, based on the premise of an article that appeared in the Los Angeles Times.

Screenwriter and producer John Hill started writing the script for the film in 1974, although it took 16 years for it to finally be shown on the big screen. Hill’s inspiration for writing came from an article that he read in the Los Angeles Times which described in great detail the genocide of Aborigines in 19th-century Australia.

With that in mind, it now helps explain the film’s premise. American cowboy Matt Quigley, played by Tom Selleck, sees an ad in the newspaper. It’s from Elliott Marston, a British landowner in Australia (played by Alan Rickman) who is looking for a talented sharpshooter, one who especially excels in long-distance shooting. Quigley responded to Marston: “M. Quigley 900 yards.”

Quigley later arrives in Australia and meets Marston, only to quickly realize that his new boss has hired him to kill Aborigines, who live on land around Marston’s ranch that their own ancestors have inhabited for centuries. Quigley wants no part of the plan, he refuses to commit murder, and almost immediately turns from hunter to hunted.

Crazy Cora, played by Laura San Giacomo, comes into the picture when Quigley fights a group of men who are trying to get Cora into their wagon. They are the same men who were sent by Marston to escort Quigley back to his ranch. Cora remains in the picture for the remainder of the film.

Essentially, Hill’s original screenplay took the concept of Manifest Destiny and, rather than feature racial prejudice and violence against American Indians in the film, instead spotlighted Australia’s treatment of its Aborigines.

We could go into more detail here, but we’ve already said enough. Spilling more would simply provide too much of a spoiler for Quigley Down Under, which remains one of Selleck’s most memorable films.

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