The Square (2010)

The title of the Australian suspense thriller The Square refers not to any person, but to a big square hole at a construction site. What’s hidden within, the man who hides it there, and the characters connected to him, are the primary elements of this convoluted crime tale that puts the Coen brothers in a blender and produces a mush not much tastier than Vegemite.

Ray Yale (David Roberts) is a construction supervisor at the site of a new luxury development. He’s under pressure from his hard-ass boss (Bill Hunter, the father in Muriel’s Wedding) to cut costs, and he’s simultaneously taking kickbacks from subcontractors. He’s getting pinched from both sides, plus he’s dealing with another pressing issue: his mistress, Carla (Claire van der Boom). She lives on the far side of the lake with her trailer-trash, suspected criminal husband, Greg (Anthony Hayes), frustrated that Ray hasn’t left his wife yet to whisk her away from a mundane existence.

Carla, unaware of the financial and literal holes Ray is digging at work, approaches him with a scheme. Seems that she spied Greg hiding a bag full of cash in the ceiling of their house. She can swipe the money in advance if Ray can get somebody to burn the house down. Rigged as though faulty Christmas tree lights started the blaze, hubby Greg will think the money burned away in the fire, and the wannabe-happy couple can afford their escape to paradise. So Ray hires a guy named Billy (co-writer Joel Edgerton, the director’s brother) to do the job. But, as is often the case with subcontractors, there are unforeseen complications, and Ray soon finds himself in a sequence of events spiraling out of his control.

As the first feature film from director Nash Edgerton and his writing/acting brother, The Square practically screams out for comparisons to the film debut of Joel and Ethan Coen, Blood Simple. Both films involve similar character archetypes with little or no background information–the brutish husband, the scheming adulteress, the protagonist adulterer in over his head and desperate for a solution. Each film has numerous plot twists, a high body count, and a burial at night. However, in the long run The Square pales in comparison, because Blood Simple, in addition to being much more visually ingenious, wisely limited its action to five characters rather than the numerous ancillary figures who factor into the Edgertons’ film. Also, Blood Simple’s deadly twists disguised the true genius of the Coens’ script, which respected its audience by giving them more information than the characters, making it fascinating to watch their missteps because we know more than they do.

It’s hard to knock the Edgertons for trying, but the attempted sharpness of their efforts is dulled by the large cast, most of whom lack any distinctive character features other than looking for “their cut.” Blurring things further are echoes of another Coen classic, Fargo–businessman skimming from the company, who first meets his criminal conspirators in a restaurant–plus a plot twist lifted almost intact from another great movie, Robert Altman’s The Player. It’s an ambitious but weakly constructed effort, with too many elements unresolved. (Why is the philanderer’s wife so devoid of detail? And what’s the deal with the dog?) The most intriguing element for American audiences may be the scenes of Christmas celebrations in the summery weather of Australia in December. But as for story and characters, the film gets bogged down in a mire as thick as the rain-soaked mud filling the titular square.

Of special note to moviegoers: The Square is preceded by a 10-minute short film, Spider, also directed by Nash Edgerton. I didn’t realize it was a short subject, separate from the main feature, until it was over. I applaud any efforts to bring short films back to the big screen, but it would be less confusing if we knew that in advance. By the way, this deceptive little short has a couple of jolting shocks that generated loud exclamations from the audience, so be forewarned. And there’s an amusing reference to this short film in the main feature, so keep an eye out for it.

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