''Gettin' Square'' is a 2003
comedy
Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium.
Origins
Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
crime
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...
thriller film
Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...
directed by
Jonathan Teplitzky
Jonathan Teplitzky is an Australian writer and film director who has directed the movies ''Better Than Sex (film), Better Than Sex'' (2000), ''Gettin' Square'' (2003), ''Burning Man (film), Burning Man'' (2011), ''The Railway Man (film), The Rail ...
and written by
Chris Nyst. An international co-production between Australia and the United Kingdom, it stars
Sam Worthington
Samuel Henry John Worthington (born 2 August 1976) is an Australian actor. He is known for playing Jake Sully in the ''Avatar'' franchise (2009–present), Marcus Wright in '' Terminator Salvation'' (2009), and Perseus in '' Clash of the Titan ...
,
David Wenham
David Wenham (born 21 September 1965) is an Australian actor who has appeared in film, television and theatre. He is known for his roles as Faramir in The Lord of the Rings (film series), ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy, Friar Carl in ' ...
,
Freya Stafford,
Gary Sweet
Gary Sweet (born 22 May 1957) is an Australian film and television actor known for his roles in ''Alexandra's Project'' (as Steve), ''Police Rescue'' (as Sergeant "Mickey" McClintock), ''Cody (TV series), Cody'' (as Cody), ''Big Sky (Australian ...
, and
Timothy Spall
Timothy Leonard Spall ( ; born 27 February 1957) is an English actor. He gained recognition for his character actor roles on stage and screen.
In 2000, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II.
S ...
. It follows an ex-con who vows to go straight and make an honest man of himself, but finding a job is difficult with a
criminal record
A criminal record (not to be confused with a police record or arrest record) is a record of a person's criminal Conviction, convictions history. The information included in a criminal record, and the existence of a criminal record, varies betwe ...
.
The film had its world premiere at the 12th
Brisbane International Film Festival
The Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF) is an annual film festival held in Brisbane, Australia. Organised by the Screen Culture unit at Screen Queensland, the festival has taken place since 1992, with the program including features, doc ...
on 29 July 2003, and was theatrically released in Australia on 9 October 2003. It received widespread critical acclaim, particularly for Wenham's performance, Teplitzky's direction and Nyst's screenplay. At the
45th Australian Film Institute Awards
The 45th Annual Australian Film Institute Awards (generally known as the AFI Awards) were a series of awards presented by the Australian Film Institute (AFI). The awards celebrated the best in Australian feature film, television, documentary, ...
, ''Gettin' Square'' earned a leading fourteen nominations, including
Best Film, and won two, including Wenham winning for
Best Actor in a Leading Role
The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading ro ...
.
A sequel to the film, named ''Spit'', featuring Wenham's character Johnny Spitieri, was released in 2025.
Cast
*
Sam Worthington
Samuel Henry John Worthington (born 2 August 1976) is an Australian actor. He is known for playing Jake Sully in the ''Avatar'' franchise (2009–present), Marcus Wright in '' Terminator Salvation'' (2009), and Perseus in '' Clash of the Titan ...
as Barry 'Wattsy' Wirth, a man recently paroled after serving time for a crime he did not commit.
*
David Wenham
David Wenham (born 21 September 1965) is an Australian actor who has appeared in film, television and theatre. He is known for his roles as Faramir in The Lord of the Rings (film series), ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy, Friar Carl in ' ...
as Johnny Francis 'Spit' Spitieri, a small-time criminal and friend of Barry's.
*
Timothy Spall
Timothy Leonard Spall ( ; born 27 February 1957) is an English actor. He gained recognition for his character actor roles on stage and screen.
In 2000, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II.
S ...
as Darren 'Dabba' Barrington
*
Freya Stafford as Annie Flynn
*
Gary Sweet
Gary Sweet (born 22 May 1957) is an Australian film and television actor known for his roles in ''Alexandra's Project'' (as Steve), ''Police Rescue'' (as Sergeant "Mickey" McClintock), ''Cody (TV series), Cody'' (as Cody), ''Big Sky (Australian ...
as Chicka Martin
*
David Roberts as Niall Toole
*
David Field as Arnie DeViers
*
Luke Pegler
Luke Pegler (born 1981) is an Australian actor who is known for Scott Wiper's '' The Condemned'' and Gregory Dark's '' See No Evil''.
Career
Pegler has starred in two WWE Films productions: '' The Condemned'' with Stone Cold Steve Austin, and ...
as Joey Wirth
*
Richard Carter as Craig 'Crusher' Knobes
*
Mitchell Butel
Mitchell Patrick Butel (born 10 February 1970) is an Australian actor, singer, director and writer. He is best known for his work in theatre, including musical and opera productions. He was the artistic director of the State Theatre Company of ...
as Con Katsakis
*
Helen Thomson as Marion Barrington
* Steven Bishop as Gordon Frame "Slippery Gordon"
*
Jonathan Biggins
Jonathan Martin Biggins is an Australian actor, singer, writer, director, and comedian. He has appeared on film, stage and television as well as in satirical sketch comedy television programmes.
Early life and education
Jonathan Martin Biggi ...
Plot
Barry Wirth is a retired small-time criminal who is released on parole following the death of his mother, so that he can care for his younger brother, Joey. Wirth was falsely convicted for murder by corrupt police detective Arnie DeViers, who is in the employ of criminal kingpin Chicka Martin. Shortly after Wirth is released, a corrupt accountant is arrested and his records seized, causing difficulties for Wirth's new employer, Darren "Dabba" Barrington, an ex criminal turned restaurateur whose money is seized along with that of Chicka. Wirth's friend Johnny "Spit" Spitieri, a heroin addict and small-time criminal, is arrested while conducting a drug deal and finds himself owing $20,000 to Chicka. DeViers continues to harass and threaten Wirth, even as the latter finds success as a chef in Dabba's restaurant. Despite his best efforts to remain clean, Wirth finds himself under increasing pressure to return to his criminal ways in order to help both Dabba and Spit.
Release
The film had its world premiere at the 12th
Brisbane International Film Festival
The Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF) is an annual film festival held in Brisbane, Australia. Organised by the Screen Culture unit at Screen Queensland, the festival has taken place since 1992, with the program including features, doc ...
on 29 July 2003, and was theatrically released in Australia on 9 October 2003, by
Hoyts Distribution
The HOYTS Group of companies in Australia and New Zealand includes HOYTS Cinemas, a cinema chain, and Val Morgan, which sells advertising on cinema screens and digital billboards.
The company was established by dentist Arthur Russell in Melbo ...
. It received widespread critical acclaim, particularly for Wenham's performance, Teplitzky's direction, and Nyst's screenplay. At the
45th Australian Film Institute Awards
The 45th Annual Australian Film Institute Awards (generally known as the AFI Awards) were a series of awards presented by the Australian Film Institute (AFI). The awards celebrated the best in Australian feature film, television, documentary, ...
, ''Gettin' Square'' earned a leading fourteen nominations, including
Best Film, with Wenham winning
Best Actor in a Leading Role
The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading ro ...
. The film's sequel, ''Spit'', is in production.
Home media
''Gettin' Square'' was first released on DVD by
Columbia Tristar in 2003. The DVD is compatible with region 4 and includes special features such as deleted scenes, a
Popcorn Taxi
Popcorn Taxi was an Australian independent non-competitive film festival that presented regular film screenings followed by a live Q&A with related 'talent' immediately afterward. The unique nature of each screening was that the events provide pa ...
Q&A, interviews with Jonathan Teplitzky, Chris Nyst, Timothy Spall, David Wenham, and audio commentary with Jonathan Teplitzky and Chris Nyst. It was re-released by Umbrella Entertainment in September 2011.
Reception
Box office
According to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia, ''Gettin' Square'' grossed $2,137,749, becoming the fifth highest-grossing film of 2003 in Australia.
The Film Victoria reported that it made $2,292,587.
Critical response
David Stratton
David James Stratton (born 1939) is an English-Australian film critic and historian. He has also worked as a journalist, interviewer, educator, television personality, and producer. His career as a film critic, writer, and educator in Austral ...
of ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' described the film as "a cleverly scripted, very Australian crime comedy" and "a feel-good combination of suspense and laughs distinguished by superb performances." Stratton also wrote, "Although the situations in the script are not new, Chris Nyst's characters and salty dialogue add freshness and energy."
Frank Hatherley of ''
Screen Daily
''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company which also owned '' Broadcast''.
The magazine is primarily aimed at those involv ...
'' stated, "Teplitzky keeps the action flowing, jolting his audience with odd angles and never-still camera movements." Hatherley also noted, "The cast are excellent, revelling in Nyst's free-flowing comic dialogue, modern Aussie slang effortlessly raised to a street smart poetry. But it's David Wenham who makes the biggest impression," and called his performance "brilliant, career-enhancing."
Paul Byrnes of ''
The Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...
'' commented, "The script works best when it's ruled by character, probably because Nyst knows the people he's writing about. When plot becomes more important, the film becomes just another crime movie."
The critic from ''
The Age
''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
'' gave ''Gettin' Square'' 2.5 out of 5 stars and opined, "The film becomes overwhelmed by the narrative web of who is doing what to whom, the focus being on plot rather than pace. And while Worthington's character Barry is meant to be the lead, the film lacks sufficient focus on a central character arc."
Luke Buckmaster of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' highlighted Wenham's "unmissable performance," writing that "''Gettin' Square'' marks a rare comedic turn from Wenham and a performance so good it generated a loyal band of appreciators for whom his character's name, Johnny "Spit" Spitieri, will be forever synonymous with gales of laughter and highly quotable lines."
Sequel
the film's sequel, ''
Spit'', was in production and was released on 6 March 2025.
Accolades
See also
*
List of movies set in Australia
References
External links
*
*
{{Jonathan Teplitzky
2003 films
2003 crime comedy films
2003 crime thriller films
2000s Australian films
2000s English-language films
2000s comedy thriller films
2000s heist films
Australian crime comedy films
Australian crime thriller films
Australian comedy thriller films
Australian heist films
English-language crime comedy films
English-language crime thriller films
English-language comedy thriller films
Films about brothers
Films about criminals
Films about friendship
Films about heroin addiction
Films directed by Jonathan Teplitzky
Films set in Queensland
Films shot in Brisbane
Films shot on the Gold Coast, Queensland