The Square (2010)
80%RT Audience Score: 69%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
34 wins & 44 nominations total
The Square may not quite live up to the modern noir classics that inspired it, but with twists and tension to spare, it comes admirably close
The Square” is a movie that will make you feel good about feeling bad, or at least watching others do so. It’s a well-executed and entertaining descent into a black-comic hell that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The filmmakers did an admirable job with this kind of crime film, and it’s Australian for noir, mate. The atmosphere is so charged that even the insidious way a man makes an appointment to get his hair cut seems fraught with innuendo and peril. Things go from bad to worse to downright disastrous in this enthralling Australian import. It’s a Sisyphusian tale about idealists devoting their lives to bringing about change, and it’s definitely worth a watch.
Production Company(ies)
Selznick International Pictures,, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,
Distributor
Apparition
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Gothenburg, Sweden
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language, some strong sexual content, and brief violence
Year of Release
2017
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 45m
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Language(s):Swedish, English, Danish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Apr 9, 2010 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 17, 2010
Genre(s)
Mystery & Thriller
Keyword(s)
starring David Roberts, Claire van der Boom, Anthony Hayes, Peter Phelps, Bill Hunter, Joel Edgerton, directed by Nash Edgerton, written by Joel Edgerton, Matthew Dabner, Mystery & thriller, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Jordan Hoffman, Roger Moore, Sheri Linden, Steven Rea, Bill Goodykoontz, Tom Long, Lisa Jensen, Jeffrey M Anderson, Nick Davis, Rob Thomas, Justin Strout, produced by Louise Smith, R MPAA rating, affair, mobster, drug money, heist, arson, betrayal, crime, noir, twists, tension, modern classics, limited release, Apparition, English language
Worldwide gross: $9,493,791
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $11,451,753
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,926
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,248,828
US/Canada gross: $1,502,347
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,812,185
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,059
US/Canada opening weekend: $74,233
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $89,543
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,977
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Claire van der Boom – Carla
Joel Edgerton – Billy
Anthony Hayes – Greg
Peter Phelps – Jake
Bill Hunter – Gil
Director(s)
Nash Edgerton
Writer(s)
Joel Edgerton, Matthew Dabner
Producer(s)
Louise Smith
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
34 wins & 44 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (85) | Top Critics (38) | Fresh (73) | Rotten (12)
a Sisyphusian tale about idealists devoting their lives to bringing about change.
January 30, 2013
Jordan Hoffman
Birth.Movies.Death.
TOP CRITIC
A taut, well-executed if somewhat predictable riff on the murderous caper-that-goes-wrong theme that has anchored sexy, blood-stained crime pictures from The Postman Always Rings Twice to Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead.
July 15, 2010 | Rating: 3/4
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
A well-made and entertaining descent into a black-comic hell.
July 6, 2010
Sheri Linden
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
It’s as if filmmaking brothers Joel and Nash Edgerton (Joel cowrote, produced and costars, Nash directed) sat down and said, “Let’s watch these suckers wreck their lives, and the lives of everyone around them.”
July 6, 2010 | Rating: 3.5/4
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
A perverse delight, the rare film that makes you feel good about feeling bad (or at least watching others do so).
June 22, 2010 | Rating: 4.5/5
Bill Goodykoontz
Arizona Republic
TOP CRITIC
Things go from bad to worse to downright disastrous in the enthralling Australian import The Square.
May 14, 2010 | Rating: B+
Tom Long
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
The atmosphere becomes so charged that, even the insidious way a man makes an appointment to get his hair cut seems fraught with innuendo and peril.
September 12, 2017 | Rating: 3/4
Lisa Jensen
Good Times Santa Cruz
This kind of crime film is not easy to make, and the Edgertons have done an admirable job with The Square.
September 3, 2010
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
The Square gets plenty of early elements in place to promise something more special than it ultimately becomes… Even a strong first impression can’t survive such a flailing resolution.
August 30, 2010 | Rating: C
Nick Davis
Nick’s Flick Picks
“The Square”: It’s Australian for noir, mate.
August 26, 2010 | Rating: 3.5/4
Rob Thomas
Wisconsin State Journal
A debut feature that replaces the Coen brothers’ humor in similarly labyrinthine comedies of errors with Arthur Penn’s grit and Peckinpah’s tense string tuning.
July 16, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Justin Strout
Orlando Weekly
Dire, frantic, and unfailingly engaging…introduces a major filmmaking talent to the scene who understands the utter joy that comes with detailing complete psychological devastation.
July 14, 2010 | Rating: A-
Brian Orndorf
BrianOrndorf.com…
Plot
Ray, a construction worker in an unhappy marriage, has an affair with his neighbor Carla, whose husband is a mobster with large sums of drug money in their home. Carla convinces Ray to steal the money and burn down her house, but their plan goes awry in the mystery thriller, The Square.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing to add here about “The Square.”
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