Review of The Square (2008) by Hal M — 23 Feb 2012

Many people have compared the Australian thriller "The Square" to the best of the Coen Brothers films and I believe the comparison to be valid. The film features an intricate plot that starts out simply enough with a minor crime that snowballs irrevocably out of control, and you become more and more immersed in the story with each new plot twist. Director Nash Edgerton doesn't have the visual panache of his American counterparts, but he knows how to tell a story, slowly and naturally with a gradual escalation of tension.

The acting is serviceable, but this film isn't about the acting. There are no stand-out performances, and none were needed. It's the script that pulls you in, and the sheer joy of watching these people dig themselves in deeper and deeper. The surprises never let up, as Edgerton is not content to let his film grow stagnant, and it builds to an utterly earth-shattering conclusion that I never saw coming.

It was co-written by the director's brother Joel, who is quickly becoming a very popular actor stateside, and judging from this he'll have a fine backup career behind the camera if the acting thing doesn't work out for him. Even when things start to spiral hopelessly into chaos, the picture never loses its sense of realism, and as crazy as things get, it never feels farfetched or out of the realm of possibility. That is the key that keeps the film grounded and accessible.

And unlike a lot of its American equivalents, it doesn't resort to a lot of unnecessarily bloody violence. "The Square" relies strictly in the confidence of its story to be successful, and while it doesn't quite join the ranks of "Blood Simple" or the like, it's a very entertaining noir all the same.