The Square: movie review
鈥�The Square鈥� is a terrific film noir with an Aussie twist. Like all good noirs, it has an almost comic appreciation for how the best-laid plans can go horribly wrong. No matter how bad things get, they can always get worse. I watched the film in a state of rapt enjoyment.
There鈥檚 a special pleasure in watching the familiar tropes of noir transferred to an 鈥渆xotic鈥� locale, whether it be the recent Korean film 鈥�Mother鈥� or, going back much further, Luchino Visconti鈥檚 鈥淥ssessione,鈥� which essentially borrowed the plot of James M. Cain鈥檚 鈥�The Postman Always Rings Twice.鈥� The brainchild of stuntman-turned-first-time-director Nash Edgerton, 鈥淭he Square鈥� is so promiscuous in its lifts, from Cain and Chandler and everything in between, that the price of admission should include a handy reference guide. But this pileup of borrowings is part of the film鈥檚 appeal; we鈥檙e encouraged to recognize how cleverly Edgerton has made them his own.
In a sense, noir plots are as rigorously codified as, say, haiku. Originality isn鈥檛 essential; execution is all. In 鈥淭he Square,鈥� we have as its centerpiece a classic noir Everyman 鈥� or I should say, Everydupe. Raymond (David Roberts) is a married construction supervisor in suburban Sydney who is carrying on with his married, and much younger, hairdresser neighbor Carla (Claire van der Boom). Raymond keeps promising to leave his wife for her, and when Carla notices that her bullyboy husband, 鈥淪mithy鈥� (Anthony Hayes), has stashed a wad of ill-gained loot in the attic, she tips off Raymond and presses him to take her, and the cash, far away.
Any of this sound familiar? Our presentiments of what will happen next only add to the fun. As things become progressively more entangled and botched, and as the body count adds up, the sheer awfulness of Raymond鈥檚 predicament hits home. I suppose there鈥檚 an element of sadism at work here 鈥� for our delectation, Edgerton is basically pulling the wings off flies 鈥� but it helps that Raymond and Carla, and just about everybody else in 鈥淭he Square,鈥� has it coming to them.
Just to rub it in, Raymond鈥檚 construction project is called the 鈥淗aven Cove Oasis Resort.鈥� There鈥檚 something very Coen Brothers-ish about all this. Like the Coens, Edgerton will probably be accused of mean-spiritedness, but you have to be pretty humorless not to be in on the joke here. Fortunately, the first-rate cast members, who also include Edgerton鈥檚 co-screenwriter brother Joel as a particularly smarmy arsonist, have been encouraged to act as if they were not in on it. The people who made this movie know that sick jokes are best delivered with a straight face.
Playing with 鈥淭he Square鈥� in most theatrical locations is Edgerton鈥檚 acclaimed short film 鈥淪pider,鈥� which confirms, if there was ever any doubt, that this guy likes to laugh in all the 鈥渨rong鈥� places. Grade: A- (Rated R for violence and language.)
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