The Square - Ein tödlicher Plan

"The Square" opens with two parked cars at a scenic overlook. In one of them, two agitated dogs observe the other vehicle where their respective owners, Ray and Carla, are engaged in some steamy extra-marital gymnastics. When Carla returns home, she spots her rough diamond husband hiding a bag of cash in the ceiling of their washroom. She decides to steal it and run off with her lover to begin a new life together. Construction site manager Ray declines to go along with her scheme at first, anticipating the fallout will foul up his sweet workplace kickback scam, but Carla's charms prove too tempting. The lovers hire themselves a dubious partner, lash together a creaky plan and set it in motion, only to meet with a firestorm of foul-ups, suspicion and terror.

"The Square" shares several themes with "Body Heat" and "Blood Simple" - the chief differences being its gritty realism and fast pacing. It also boasts a fine array of support roles which provide numerous possibilities for misunderstandings and betrayal among the various conspirators, victims and bystanders as their lives spiral out of control. By the time the dust has cleared at the conclusion, it seems the phrase 'ratcheting up the tension' might have been coined for 'The Square'. Nash Edgerton directs his brother Joel's tight script, extracting intense, believable performances from his actors. It all adds up to an impressive modern Indie film noir.

The action in The Square takes place in a small Australian town, a town so small that everyone knows everyone at least casually, and when a party is arranged most of the residents are invited.

Two of these residents are middle aged construction foreman Ray (David Roberts) and a hairdresser in her early 20s named Carla (Claire van der Boom – an awesome stripper name if there ever was one!). Ray and Carla are married… but not to each other.

Things start going wrong early, but on a smaller scale. Ray and Carla intend to leave their respective spouses and skip town, but first they need cash. To come up with the cash they each come up with a plan, Ray cuts a side deal with a shonky contractor, and Carla's plan involves theft and just a pinch of arson.

"It's not like anyone will get hurt", she reasons. How wrong she is.

The Square is as dark as films come, everyone in the film is varying degrees of shonky otherwise they don't get any lines. No room for the honest here Mate. But this is a decidedly non-Hollywood noir, the protagonists aren't gangsters or hit men or criminal geniuses, they are tow-truck drivers, hairdressers and local slobs.

As the ever growing bodycount envelops both the innocent and the not so… more and more are intertwined in an ever more complex story that should have begun and ended with Ray and Carla skipping town. Alas once the paranoia, mistrust and guilt leads to cover up, murder and betrayal no-one in The Square is destined for a happy ending.

As a viewer I kept thinking "Now how are you gonna get out of this?" and "Don't do that you dickhead", but the actions of those involved never stray into cartoon or the illogical – at least to them. It might take a leap of faith to pretend all the events in the film happen over a short time frame, but it isn't beyond the stretch of the imagination to think most of this stuff could happen.

I just hope it never happens near me.

Final Rating – 6 / 10. An effective and intricately drawn drama that will keep you guessing and involved until the very end, even once you realise there cannot possibly be a happy outcome.

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.

One should always be aware of the Law of Unintended Consequences when they set out to commit a crime. You may have to live with more than you bargained for.

Lovers of Double Indemnity will find the story familiar. Raymond (David Roberts) and his lover Carla (Claire van der Boom) plan to steal money and leave their partners. Things, of course, do not go smoothly.

There are twists and turns aplenty in the noir film, and it keeps you wondering who is going to come up with the next one.

Roberts was excellent and the film was extremely well done.

One hopes Joel Edgerton writes more like this.

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.