Gettin' Square (2003)

Gettin' Square is about starting over, keeping clean and going straight. Barry Wirth is fresh out of prison and determined to stay on the straight and narrow. But like his mate Johnny 'Spit... See full summary »

Director:

Jonathan Teplitzky

Writer:

Chris Nyst

Stars:

Sam Worthington, David Wenham, Timothy Spall

9 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sam Worthington	...	Barry 'Wattsy' Wirth
David Wenham	...	Johnny Francis 'Spit' Spitieri
Timothy Spall	...	Darren 'Dabba' Barrington
Freya Stafford	...	Annie Flynn
Gary Sweet	...	Chicka Martin
David Roberts	...	Niall Toole
David Field	...	Arnie DeViers
Luke Pegler	...	Joey Wirth
Richard Carter	...	Craig 'Crusher' Knobes
Mitchell Butel	...	Con Katsakis
Gary Waddell	...	Dennis Obst
John Brumpton	...	Lenny Morrison
Helen Thomson	...	Marion Barrington
Marea Lambert Barker	...	Cheryl
Joe Bugner	...	Big Mick

Storyline

Gettin' Square is about starting over, keeping clean and going straight. Barry Wirth is fresh out of prison and determined to stay on the straight and narrow. But like his mate Johnny 'Spit' Spiteri and reformed gangster turned restaurateur Dabba, he finds out the hard way that there are old scores and a few new ones that'll make getting square a lot harder than he thought.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | criminal | cook | going straight | prisoner | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Australia UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 October 2003 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Egyenesbe jövünk

Filming Locations:

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$180,937 (Australia), 17 October 2003, Limited Release

Company Credits

Production Co:

Squared Productions, Mushroom Pictures, Freshwater Pictures

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The henchman with heaps of tattoos is a well known Gold Coast figure Tim Ward. He is the owner of several Surfers Paradise nightclubs.

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Goofs

When Barry gets off the 'Enoggera' bus in Brisbane after getting out of jail, we see the street sign 'Graham St' which clearly shows the Gold Coast City Council logo.

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Quotes

Richard Dent QC: Your full name is John Frances Spitieri?
Johnny Francis 'Spit' Spitieri: So?
Richard Dent QC: Beg your pardon?
Johnny Francis 'Spit' Spitieri: What?
Richard Dent QC: Your name is John Frances Spitieri?
Johnny Francis 'Spit' Spitieri: Yeah.
Richard Dent QC: Thank you. And you reside...
Johnny Francis 'Spit' Spitieri: Never said it wasn't.
Richard Dent QC: Sorry?
Johnny Francis 'Spit' Spitieri: I never!
[...]

User Reviews

David Wenham needs a shower

A solid example of an Aussie crime/comedy caper - but more than that, it's a brilliant display by David Wenham, who deserves much applause (and a good shower) for his portrayal of Johnny 'Spit' Spiteri.

Many things come together to make this a great Aussie film. The cinematography is clever and fresh, the script is, and the acting is superb.

Sam Worthington is Barry, recently out of prison, who lands a job as a chef in a struggling restaurant, run by Darren (the wonderful Timothy Spall), an ex-con trying to stay straight. When Darren runs into trouble with a suspect $200,000, and Barry's friend Spit runs afoul of the local gangster (Gary Sweet), they team up for a double-cross - but it's much more complicated than that.

The script is smart and devilish, but while it twists and turns, it never approaches ridiculousness. Written by prominent criminal lawyer Chris Nyst, you wonder who much is fact and how much is fiction - something here seems plausible.

That might be just the superb acting. Worthington is solid and believable, but Wenham utterly steals the show as the hapless, mullet-wearing Spit. One scene where Spit goes before a court hearing is one of the highlights of Aussie cinema of the last decade. It's stunningly scripted, brilliantly acted - and very funny.

'Gettin Square' isn't as good as 'Two Hands' - it's uneven at times, slightly plodding early on, and takes 40 minutes to really get into the script - but it's still well worth the entry price.