[3] Raymond Yale (David Roberts) and Carla Smith (Claire van der Boom) are lovers in a small Australian town living across the river from one another.

However, both are already married; Raymond to a loveless wife and Carla to a domineering petty gangster Greg "Smithy" Smith (Anthony Hayes).

Carla tells Ray, insisting this to be the end of their financial troubles, and although he is initially hesitant she finally persuades him to steal the money.

He will need to burn the house down so Smithy thinks the money was simply destroyed rather than stolen, a job for which he hires the local arsonist, Billy (Joel Edgerton).

Carla will first steal the money from the hiding place and then Billy will arrive and set a fire to make it look as though it was caused by faulty Christmas tree lights.

Smithy, devastated by his mother's death, then discovers that the money had, in fact, been stolen, and begins to search ruthlessly for the culprits.

And Ray's life is further complicated when someone starts sending him Christmas cards threatening to reveal "what you're up to" unless a $10,000 blackmail is paid.

"[7] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave three-and-a-half stars out of four and said that "it never pushes too hard or moves too fast.

Like that movie, The Square uses the trappings of film noir to explore a moral universe in which connivers and crooks are their own worst enemies.

And like Blood Simple, The Square suggests an exciting future for a pair of brothers with a dark view of pitiless fate.

"[9] Moira Macdonald of The Seattle Times gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four; however, she criticised the script by saying that "Indeed, there's a bit of everything in The Square, so much so that after a while it starts to feel generic.