The Square (2010)

I tend to have a problem with films that, in lieu of a third act, opt for a shootout to resolve things. That's exactly what happens in THE SQUARE. The film overall is very well made, with some solid performances (I was especially fond of Claire van der Boom, although I must confess that that probably has more to do with the fact that she's really, really easy on the eyes), but the aforementioned "resolution" leaves a bad aftertaste. And whatever happened to Yale's wife? She's quite literally a background fixture who simply fades away at some point, never to be seen or heard from again. One would think that THAT would've been an integral part of the big picture. (WHY did Yale have an affair? Was his wife a shrew? Did she make him feel like a necrophiliac?) There are just too many unanswered questions that linger in the air once this one's done.

Recently catching up with a terrific thread on the IMDb Film Noir board,I noticed an IMDb member give a very good review,for an over looked Neo-Noir film from Australlia.Being intrigued by the sound of the movie,and having also enjoyed the great 1987 Ozploitation film Dark Age,I decided that it would be the perfect time to take a look at a Neo- Noir world from down under.The plot:Getting a job as a Foreman for the building of a brand new leisure resort,Raymond Yale starts to plan on ways which he can get extra "benefits" for the building of the resort.Holding secret discussions with lead construction work Barney, Ray soon begins to devise a plan that will secretly create "kickbacks" during the construction work,which will lead to him getting a nice bundle of extra cash on the side at the end.Despite his plans on how to get hold of the cash that is dangling in front of his eyes,Ray finds any "spark" in his life completely fade away when he returns to the suburban home that he lives in with his wife,whose "spark" for Ray has also gone a long while ago.Feeling that his marriage is beyond repair,Ray decides to start an affair with a woman called Carla Smith,who lives on the opposite side of a rive near Yale's house.Feeling a sense of danger and excitement that he has not had in ages,Ray decides to ignore the fact that Smith is married to a well known,ruthless local gangster called Greg "Smithy" Smith,and to instead start building a deep relationship with Carla,whilst continuing to make sure that no one else in the city catches on to what they are secretly up to.Keeping a good distance away from her husband so that he does not catch her spying on him,Carla sees Smithy secretly hide a duffel bag which seems to contain a huge amount of cash from a bank robbery that Greg has recently committed.Rushing to tell Ray about her thrilling discovery,Smith is left deeply disappointed when Yale tells her that they should just leave "Smithy" money alone and just wait for his "kickbacks" to get started.Not being willing at all to let the topic drop,Carla eventually gets Ray to agree on setting up a robbery for Greg's hidden money,which will inadvertently give them the very worst "kickback" that they ever could have imagined…View on the film:For their slowly unravelling,tightly coiled screenplay,writers Matthew Dabner and Joel Edgerton, (whose brother Nash directs this terrific film) initially make the first half of the film a moody suburban Drama,as Raymond Yale, (played by a great David Roberts,who expertly shows Ray transform from being an extremely private individual,to someone who is willing to go to murky limits to keep the pile of cash under wraps) is shown to be completely dissatisfied in the direction that his life has taken.With Dabner and Edgerton having Ray display more affection for Femme Fatale Carla Smith, (played by the great,cunning Claire van Der Boom) than he ever does for his family and friends.Using the suburban setting as the main focus of the movie for the first half,Dabner and Edgerton slowly have the Noir side of the film brilliantly rise up to the suffice,as Ray begins to get a dangerous,paranoid doubt in his mind over which of his family and friends are actually showing their true selves,whist others prepare to increase the tension and stab him in the back,which leads to the film ending on a pure,sudden Black Comedy note.Despite this being his first ever feature film directing debut,Nash Edgerton display a strong style which suggests a bright future hopefully laying ahead of him,as the scenes of Ray getting an increasing feeling of fear,having Edgerton cleverly use a close-up "floating" camera to fully display Ray's dangerous "up in the air" mood,whilst using the second half of the movie,to create a number of really excellent, tense "betrayal" scenes that show Ray and Carla's cunning plans completely burn down.

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.

It helps to know absolutely nothing about "The Square" before watching it, just so that it can hit you harder. Nash Edgerton's film depicts an affair between construction foreman Ray (David Roberts) and housewife Carla (Claire van der Boom) which leads to disastrous events. The mud created by the rain in some scenes is nothing compared to what is happening as part of the plot. Many of the shots are not lit entirely, adding to the unpleasant feeling.Without a doubt, the movie portrays a much grittier side of Australia than we often see in movies. The land down under is often associated with Crocodile Dundee or Aboriginal culture. What "The Square" depicts is closer to what we see in Guy Ritchie's movies, except that the events here are no laughing matter. This is as gut-busting as can be, especially with what happens at the end. But don't get me wrong, it's definitely worth seeing...unless you have a weak stomach.Also starring Joel Edgerton, Anthony Hayes, Peter Phelps and Bill Hunter.