San Francisco Chronicle by G. 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.

Christian Science Monitor by Peter 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.

Portland Oregonian by Marc Mohan

The whole thing unfolds with sadistic precision, but Edgerton's expert manipulation makes it a fun ride nonetheless.

The New York Times by A.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.

Boxoffice Magazine by Pam Grady

It is a crackerjack thriller and a sensational calling card for the brothers Edgerton.

Arizona Republic by Bill Goodykoontz

A perverse delight, the rare film that makes you feel good about feeling bad (or at least watching others do so).

Philadelphia Inquirer by Steven Rea

It's a devilishly twisted affair.

Chicago Sun-Times by Roger 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.

The A.V. Club by Tasha 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.

The Hollywood Reporter by Sheri Linden

A well-made and entertaining descent into a black-comic hell.

Variety

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.

Los Angeles Times

As one might expect from stuntman-turned-director Nash Edgerton, the action is well staged.

Time Out by Stephen 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.

Observer by Rex 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.

New York Daily News by Joe Neumaier

Digs up familiar ground without adding any fresh dirt.

Village Voice by Melissa Anderson

This Down Under noir confuses incoherent body pileups with "twists."