The Square (2008)
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86% of critics liked it
(83 reviews) -
67% of users liked it
(2,988 ratings)
Temptation turns a man's life upside down in this noir-influenced thriller from Australia. Ray Yale (David Roberts) is a construction worker who is married to Martha (Lucy Bell) and is helping to build an upscale resort hotel just outside Sydney. Ray isn't entirely happy in his marriage, and… More Temptation turns a man's life upside down in this noir-influenced thriller from Australia. Ray Yale (David Roberts) is a construction worker who is married to Martha (Lucy Bell) and is helping to build an upscale resort hotel just outside Sydney. Ray isn't entirely happy in his marriage, and his roving eye has become focused on Carla (Claire van der Boom), a hairdresser who lives next door. Carla is married to a low-level mobster, Greg (Anthony Hayes), but she craves excitement and is soon having a torrid affair with Ray. Carla knows that Greg has a large bundle of cash hidden in their home, and she hatches a scheme she shares with Ray -- they steal they money, set fire to the house, and run off together, with Greg imagining the cash was lost in the blaze. While Ray isn't interested in a life of crime, he can't say no to Carla, but when he develops cold feet at the last minute, his attempts to reach Billy (Joel Edgerton), who was hired to torch the house, are unsuccessful, and things take a turn for the worse when he learns that Greg's aged mother was in the house when it burned to the ground. Ray quickly realizes he's been implicated in a murder, and Billy doesn't hesitate to use this knowledge to his advantage. The Square was the first directorial project for Nash Edgerton, who previously was one of the leading stuntmen in the Aussie film industry. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Nash Edgerton
- Written By
- Joel Edgerton, Matthew Dabner
- Genres
- Mystery & Suspense, Action & Adventure
- In Theaters
- Apr 9, 2010 Limited
- Studio
- Apparition
Critic Reviews
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Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
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.
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Sheri Linden, Hollywood Reporter
A well-made and entertaining descent into a black-comic hell.
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Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
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."
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Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic
A perverse delight, the rare film that makes you feel good about feeling bad (or at least watching others do so).
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Tom Long, Detroit News
Things go from bad to worse to downright disastrous in the enthralling Australian import The Square.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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David Roberts
as Ray
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Claire van der Boom
as Carla
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Joel Edgerton
as Billy
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Anthony Hayes
as Smithy
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Lucy Bell
as Martha
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Kieran Darcy-Smith
as Barney
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Brendan Donoghue
as Leonard
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Hanna Mangan Lawrence
as Lily
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Peter Phelps
as Jake
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Bill Hunter
as Gil Hubbard
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Damon Herriman
as Eddie





