The Square - DVD

Movie: The fact that site manager Raymond (David Roberts) is having an affair with married Carla (Claire van der Boom) is actually dangerous enough, especially since Carla's husband Smithy (Anthony Hayes) isn't exactly an affable contemporary. When Carla discovers that Smithy has hidden a bag filled with obviously stolen money in the house they share, she persuades Raymond to pull off what is supposed to be a foolproof coup. Raymond is to steal the money and then have the house torched. Too bad Smithy's mother is in the house at the time and dies in the fire. And as if that wasn't bad enough, there seems to be someone who got wind of the coup and is now trying to blackmail Raymond. But as the noose threatens to tighten around his neck, he finds the perfect escape at his construction site, of all places.

The Square is a cleverly constructed thriller with which Australian Nash Edgerton has delivered a more than convincing directorial debut. With a screenplay by his brother Joel Edgerton, who also took a role in the film, comparisons to the Coen brothers and their films like A Simple Plan come easily. Even though The Square isn't quite in the Coen league yet, the comparison still isn't too far-fetched. That's because the way Edgerton has his characters very slowly, but inexorably, hurtle towards disaster is absolutely clever and convincingly constructed, especially for a debut film.

Naturally, one could now argue that fate strikes a little too often in the small town to make Raymond's life miserable. But thanks to the sophisticated character development and the fact that the film takes its time to let the individual situations, or the chain reaction set off by the plan to steal the money from Carla's husband, develop, the events never seem implausible or overdone - quite the opposite!

The film is carried along not only by its good script and workmanlike production, but also by the actors, all of whom deliver more than solid performances. Especially leading actor David Roberts plays the man who stumbles from one wrong decision to the next and who is heading inexorably towards a catastrophe because of one wrong decision, on the one hand pleasantly reserved, on the other hand with enormous strength and credibility.

All this, in combination with the atmospheric images and the restrained music, makes The Square a real insider tip for all lovers of clever thrillers that know how to captivate enormously even without much pace. Absolutely recommendable!

Picture + Sound: Since only a data-reduced press sample was available for the test, no rating can be given here about the final picture and sound quality.

Extras: Also the bonus material could not be sighted and evaluated on the press DVD. Announced, however, is a making of, deleted scenes, a press conference, a featurette about the pre-visualization and the trailer.

Conclusion:The Square offers thrilling entertainment on a high level. The Australian thriller manages to build extreme tension, especially from quiet moments, which keeps the viewer riveted until the end. Great actors and atmospheric images make this home cinema premiere a real insider tip for all friends of more sophisticated thrillers. Worth seeing

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp