'The Square'

'The Square' (R) ***

Writers: Joel Edgerton and Matthew Dabner
Director: Nash Edgerton
Starring: David Roberts, Claire Vander Boom, Joel Edgerton, Anthony Hayes

" The Square" is a tight, nifty and suspenseful thriller that gets the job done with crisp directing and suspenseful moments. You get what you expect from "The Square" and that is not a bad thing, it just won't surprise you that much. This is not on the level of a "Body Heat" or a "Blood Simple" but the Edgerton brothers have some talent. I look forward to seeing what they come up with next after this fine Australian movie debut. This is a classic tale of adultery, theft, blackmail and murder. Director Nash Edgerton is a former stunt man who has a knack for creating good suspense like a Coen brother. His brother Joel co-wrote the screenplay and acts in it and his story wastes no time in revealing itself. I kind of knew where this movie was going but the ride is addictive. It sets up it's characters right away and by a half hour in we know everyone. Then the movie picks up steam and gets complicated but in a good way. It is all heading towards an explosion at the end that leads to a nice shoot out scene. This movie is tight, intriguing and all the acting is great. It helps sometimes when you see actors for the first time because with well known stars this movie could have sunk. This is the perfect movie to catch at home, settle in and enjoy what is a suspenseful and fun thriller. The movie is playing at The Music Box downtown but probably won't be staying much longer.

Right before the feature starts there is a short film that was made by Nash Edgerton a few years back. This 10 minute short film is nasty, crude and ingenious and it shows that Edgerton could become a master film maker. The short is better than the main feature and the only thing I have to complain about is that the the feature film could have been nastier. The short is called "Spider" and it's a small masterpiece.