The Square
Apparition | Release Date: April 9, 2010 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews
Positive:
20
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen Johnson
The Square really tightens the screws - it's so skillfully made it makes you shift uncomfortably to the edge of your seat. It's a binge of cringe. Read full review
91
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
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. Read full review
91
Portland OregonianMarc Mohan
The whole thing unfolds with sadistic precision, but Edgerton's expert manipulation makes it a fun ride nonetheless. Read full review
90
Boxoffice MagazinePam Grady
It is a crackerjack thriller and a sensational calling card for the brothers Edgerton. Read full review
90
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
By the time the final measure of rough cosmic justice is meted out, The Square has completed a tour of moral squalor that is suspenseful, invigorating and sometimes harshly funny. Read full review
90
Arizona RepublicBill Goodykoontz
A perverse delight, the rare film that makes you feel good about feeling bad (or at least watching others do so). Read full review
88
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
It's a devilishly twisted affair. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
It lovingly, almost sadistically, lays out the situation and deliberately demonstrates all the things that can go wrong. And I mean all the things. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubTasha Robinson
The occasional missteps (some overly precious symbolism, the grimy DV look) rarely get in the way of the film’s many winces, gasps, and breathless, cringing anticipation. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterSheri Linden
A well-made and entertaining descent into a black-comic hell. Read full review
80
NPRScott Tobias
Nash and Joel Edgerton, haven't exactly remade "Blood Simple," but they put a fresh spin on the classic Coen premise of amateurs in over their heads. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
It's a finely calibrated, spiraling lesson in what NOT to do when engaging in adultery, blackmail, arson, and general antisocial behaviors, and in its best moments it recalls the everyday darkness of James M. Cain: average people doing awful things in an amoral and uncaring universe. Read full review
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
The Edgertons pile on the plot twists a bit thick, but the director steadily ratchets up the tension until a climactic shootout. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
The surprise here is how thrillingly bad things get. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
A nerve-racking noir from Australia. Read full review
75
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe Williams
The macabre comedic undertones are reminiscent of a Coen brothers film like "Blood Simple." But a more apt comparison is to an obscure Canadian bank-heist flick called "The Silent Partner," in which teller Elliot Gould pockets some loot from thief Christopher Plummer. Both movies imitate an American idiom with a provincial accent. Read full review
75
Orlando SentinelRoger Moore
The Square may be played in a thick Aussie dialect that’s hard to fathom. But thanks to bravura filmmaking that never violates the classic rules of the genre, they could be household names here someday, too. Read full review
70
VarietyRichard Kuipers
A tasty neo-noir from the James M. Cain school of lust-driven dirty dealings, The Square reps a promising debut by Aussie stuntman-turned-helmer Nash Edgerton. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesMichael Ordona
As one might expect from stuntman-turned-director Nash Edgerton, the action is well staged. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Some have called this neo-noir, but aside from the setting there’s nothing "neo" about it; as in classic noir, the characters are slowly but surely ensnared by their own baser impulses. Read full review
60
Time OutStephen Garrett
What is impressive is the filmmaker’s facility with atmosphere, plus his ripe eye for giving blue-collar bruisers just enough dimension to make them more than mouth-breathing meatheads. Read full review
50
ObserverRex Reed
For the Edgerton brothers and for their protagonists, The Square works on several levels, as it shows how far two people will go for love and profit--in more ways than one. Read full review
40
Village VoiceMelissa Anderson
This Down Under noir confuses incoherent body pileups with "twists." Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsJoe Neumaier
Digs up familiar ground without adding any fresh dirt. Read full review
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