Majorthebys Charming and brutal

Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

secondtake The SquareIt would be nice to say we need another movie about a small group of working class types all gritty and overflowing with vernacular realism as they get involved in a crime that gets the better of them. "The Square" tries to use this common situation and lift it into something we want to watch, and it has the odds against them from the get-go.Put another way--a movie along these lines that does really rise above the expected and penetrate the personalities and the facts might be the movie of the year. Why not? It's not that the material is doomed, but that the things that really matter in a movie--like the writing, the acting, the filming--all have to be spot on and special to make it click. That simply doesn't happen here. As much as you want it to work, you see little plot tricks, small (or large) problems with the script, and decent but routine camera-work and editing bring it crashing down. And the story, because it is so "usual" in movie terms, doesn't rescue thing.That's an analysis that avoids the plot, which is about two concurrent money scams. One is apparently very criminal and dangerous, probably drug related, and a bag of money is hidden in the attic. The other is a kickback on a construction job. They connect because the wife of the bag-o-money guy is having an affair with the kickback construction supervisor. After lots of dramatics, some of it nicely done but poorly integrated (I like the picnic scene, which is sixty seconds of good shooting and smart editing), the key protagonists have one final showdown. And a stray bullet makes a mockery of the realism of the rest of it (smack in the forehead).Maybe there is no protagonist. Can you have a movie with three antagonists? It's hard to quite identify with anyone, even the main man running the construction project. This is partly acting and writing, but it's partly just the slightly clunky gluing together of all the parts. The milieu is interesting, the problem dramatic (if a little too obviously sensational), and the intentions sterling. It just doesn't pull together all around. I wish.

bob_meg As many people have rightfully pointed out, "The Square" shares more than a few similarities with the Coen Brothers' debut "Blood Simple." Both have a noirish sensibility, both feature mostly unknown actors on a relatively small budget, and the plot of both films is rife with characters, double-crosses, and freakish accidents and fatal misunderstandings that change the lives of everyone forever. Perhaps most importantly, both focus on a protagonist, unhappy with a dead-end situation in his life, but too trepidatious or apathetic to say either yes or no to adultery and larceny. And, as is the case in many of these real-life scenarios, the choice gets made for them who doth not decide, to ill effect.Ray (David Roberts)---interesting, that was the name of John Getz's character in Blood Simple, as well---is a building site manager who's on the take at work, casually dandling his mistress, when she (a fetching Clare Van Der Boom, who looks and acts a bit like a down-under version of Jenna Fisher) offers him a bag a cash her shady husband has been stashing. And from there, things get sticky."The Square" is also a perfect title: Sure, it describes the grid in the center of the construction site, but Ray is the REAL square in this crime drama: the term has been in use for years to mean a sort of decoy in a criminal operation. Sure, Ray's the "good guy" but some damn evil things seem to happen all around, and because, of what he doesn't do or does inadvertently.The film's play on misunderstandings and how perceptions are often erroneously informed makes it always interesting and fun to watch, and the acting is very above board as well. There are many gray characters in this piece, but the ones who are bad are REALLY bad (I'm thinking mostly of Anthony Hayes as Van Der Boom's greaser husband and Bill Hunter as Ray's bad-ass property boss).It will keep you guessing till the end and wanting more. It is often grim, very real, and unforgiving. A little like life.

Maz Murdoch (asda-man) Aussies aren't known for their film making. After seeing "Not Quite Hollywood" I'm not surprised! But, they really do do some impressive films "Wolf Creek", "Storm Warning" to name a few. Now, "The Square" is another worthy film."The Square" ultimately has a moral in it. Don't have a bloody affair! It's simple and yet after affair related films such as "Fatal Attraction", "Dear Wife" we still get idiots doing the dirty on their poor faithful partners! (Always men as well, just an observation). Now down to The Square's realistic, raw directing it may just drill this idea into people with adultery on their minds.The screenplay, although wildly in-your-face is actually presented as quite believable. the acting is also quite passable and the sub plot with the dogs is so romantic (I say sub-plot, more of a side dish). The Square can be quite shocking at times and the ending left me feeling quite flourished.I don't think The Square should disappoint you, some might find the pacing a bit lazy but the sharp screenplay should keep you on edge. Give the Aussies a chance mate.

keith-805-433530 An Australian made suspense movie thriller directed by a talented Nash Edgerton, which features as supporting actor, his equally talented brother Joel Edgerton who wrote the story. This is the Edgerton Brothers first full length feature film, after writing producing and directing many award winning short stories.The film quickly sets the tone of an unhappy marriage and an illicit love affair headed for trouble, where a middle aged man Ray(David Roberts), hooks up with a much younger mistress, Carla (Claire van der Boom), who is also in a failing relationship. After that, the plot has so many twists and turns it will keep you guessing right through to the unexpected surprise ending, of which Nash Edgerton is known for in his previous productions.The movie has plenty of action as the ill fated couple descend deeper and deeper into a depressing turmoil involving money, greed, death and revenge, where there seems to be no way out. All the elements and suspense are here to keep you glued to the screen.The cast work well together, and with the special effects and stunts, makes for a movie well worth checking out.