Gettin' Square | |
---|---|
Directed by | Jonathan Teplitzky |
Written by | Chris Nyst |
Produced by |
|
Starring | |
Cinematography | Garry Phillips |
Edited by | Ken Sallows |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by | Hoyts Distribution (Australia) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 100 minutes [1] |
Countries |
|
Language | English |
Budget | $7.9 million [2] |
Box office | $2.1 million [3] |
Gettin' Square is a 2003 comedy crime thriller film directed by Jonathan Teplitzky and written by Chris Nyst. An international co-production between Australia and the United Kingdom, it stars Sam Worthington, David Wenham, Freya Stafford, Gary Sweet, and Timothy Spall. 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.
The film had its world premiere at the 12th Brisbane International Film Festival on 29 July 2003, and was theatrically released in Australia on 9 October 2003, by Hoyts Distribution. It was a box-office bomb, grossing only $2.1 million domestically against a $7.9 million budget. However, it received widespread critical acclaim, particularly for Wenham's performance, Teplitzky's direction, and Nyst's screenplay. At the 45th Australian Film Institute Awards, it earned a leading fourteen nominations, including Best Film, with Wenham winning Best Actor in a Leading Role. The film's sequel, SPIT, is in production. [4]
This article needs an improved plot summary.(January 2016) |
Barry Wirth (Sam Worthington) 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 (Luke Pegler). Wirth was falsely convicted for murder by corrupt police detective Arnie DeViers (David Field (actor)), who is in the employ of criminal kingpin Chicka Martin (Gary Sweet). Shortly after Wirth is released, a corrupt accountant is arrested and his records seized, causing difficulties for Wirth's new employer, Darren "Dabba" Barrington (Timothy Spall), an ex criminal turned restaurateur whose money is seized along with that of Chicka. Wirth's friend Johnny "Spit" Spitieri (David Wenham), a heroin addict and small-time criminal, is arrested while conducting a drug deal and finds himself owing twenty thousand dollars 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.
Andrew Dominik was approached to direct. He decided not to but strongly recommended the script to Jonathan Teplitzky. [5]
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 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. [6]
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. [3] The Film Victoria reported that it made $2,292,587. [2]
David Stratton of Variety 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." [7]
Frank Hatherley of Screen Daily 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." [8]
Paul Byrnes of The Sydney Morning Herald 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." [9]
The critic from The Age 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." [10]
Luke Buckmaster of The Guardian 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." [11]
Source: [12]
Won Outstanding Comic Performance in a Feature Film - David Wenham
Nominated Outstanding Film Comedy - Squared Productions
Source: [12]
Won Best Actor in a Leading Role - David Wenham
Nominated Best Film - Martin Fabinyi, Timothy White, Trish Lake
Nominated Best Direction - Jonathan Teplitzky
Nominated Best Actor in a Leading Role - Timothy Spall
Nominated Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Helen Thomson
Nominated Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Mitchell Butel
Nominated Best Actor in a Supporting Role - David Field
Nominated Best Production Design - Nicholas McCallum
Nominated Best Cinematography - Garry Phillips
Won Best Original Music Score - Chit Chat von Loopin Stab and 3KShort
Nominated Best Screenplay, Original - Chris Nyst
Nominated Best Editing - Ken Sallows
Nominated Best Sound - John Schiefelbein, Antony Gray, Ian McLoughlin
Nominated Best Costume Design - Jackline Sassine
Source: [12]
Won Best Actor - Male - David Wenham
Nominated Best Film
Nominated Best Director - Jonathan Teplitzky
Nominated Best Screenplay - Original - Chris Nyst
Nominated Best Cinematography - Garry Phillips
Nominated Best Editing - Ken Sallows
Won Audience Award Best Narrative Feature - Jonathan Teplitzky [12]
Source: [12]
Won Best Actor - David Wenham
Won Best Script - Chris Nyst
Won Best Editing - Ken Sallows
Won Best Music
Won Best Sound - John Schiefelbein, Antony Gray, Ian McLoughlin
Nominated Best Feature Film
Nominated Best Direction - Jonathan Teplitzky
Nominated Best Cinematography - Garry Phillips
David Wenham 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 trilogy, Friar Carl in Van Helsing and Van Helsing: The London Assignment, Dilios in 300 and its sequel 300: Rise of an Empire, Al Parker in Top of the Lake, Lieutenant John Scarfield in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, and Hank Snow in Elvis. He is known in his native Australia for his role as Diver Dan in SeaChange and Price Galese in Les Norton.
Timothy Leonard Spall 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.
Samuel Henry John Worthington is an Australian actor. He is known for playing Jake Sully in the Avatar franchise, Marcus Wright in Terminator Salvation, and Perseus in Clash of the Titans and its sequel Wrath of the Titans.
Freya Stafford is an Australian actress who has appeared in the television programs Head Start and White Collar Blue as central characters.
The National Board of Review Award for Best Acting by an Ensemble is an annual film award given by the National Board of Review.
Better Than Sex is 2000 Australian film from director Jonathan Teplitzky starring David Wenham and Susie Porter. It is a romantic comedy of sorts, revolving around two people who have a one-night stand and start to question whether they want more.
Heartland, known as Burned Bridge in some countries, is an Australian television drama series that ran on ABC Television in 1994. It ran for 13 episodes and starred Cate Blanchett and Ernie Dingo, as well as a large number of Aboriginal Australian actors.
The Street is a British drama television series created by Jimmy McGovern and produced by Granada Television for the BBC. The series follows the lives of various residents of an unnamed street in Manchester and features an all-star cast including Timothy Spall, Jim Broadbent, Jane Horrocks, Bob Hoskins, and David Thewlis.
Justin Smith is an Australian actor, best known for his AFI nominated performance as barrister 'Josh Bornstein' in the ABC mini-series Bastard Boys. He is also known in Australia for his TV, film, theatre and television commercial work.
Glenn Easton Dormand, also known as Chit Chat Von Loopin Stab, is an Australian songwriter, musician, record producer, remixer, TV presenter, radio announcer, podcaster and film director. He was one of the founding members of the band Machine Gun Fellatio. Chit Chat is also known for his presenting work on the Australian TV channel Max. Chit Chat co-wrote the lead singles off 4 albums in Rolling Stones Top 200 Aussies Albums of All Time including The Whitlams – "No Aphrodisiac". In 2003, Chit Chat and 3k Short wrote the original score for the Jonathon Teplitzky film Gettin' Square. For this they won the IF Award for Best Music and received an AFI Award nomination for Best Original Score. In 2019, he created the Stories of Our Town Film project, researching and directing 17 films, 4 of which have been picked up by commercial networks SBS and Foxtel.
Chris Nyst is an Australian solicitor and crime fiction writer.
Crook as Rookwood is a 2005 Ned Kelly Award-winning novel by the Australian author Chris Nyst.
An Australian Government Film is an Australian film that has been funded by the Australian government at either a state or federal level. This type of film is distinct from an Australian independent film which has had no up-front government investment.
Jonathan Teplitzky is an Australian writer and film director who has directed the movies Better Than Sex (2000), Gettin' Square (2003), Burning Man (2011), The Railway Man (2013), and Churchill (2017). Teplitzky has also directed two episodes of the web series A Series of Unfortunate Events.
Paper Planes is a 2015 Australian 3D children's drama film directed by Robert Connolly, which he co-wrote with Steve Worland and co-produced with Liz Kearney and Maggie Miles. The film stars Sam Worthington, David Wenham, Deborah Mailman, and Ed Oxenbould. The film tells a story about Dylan, a young boy who lives in Australia, who finds out that he has a talent for making paper planes and dreams of competing in the World Paper Plane Championships in Japan.
English actor Timothy Spall OBE has made over 100 appearances in film and television. Having made his cinematic debut in the 1979 film Quadrophenia, Spall first rose to fame for playing boring Barry Spencer Taylor in the comedy-drama Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (1983–2004), a role that won him popularity and critical praise. He has gone on to become an acclaimed Hollywood actor featuring in numerous cinematic roles, among them the starring role of Maurice Purley in Secrets & Lies (1996), for which he received nominations for a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and a London Film Critics Circle Award for Actor of the Year.
Al Clark is an Australian film producer. He is best known for his producer role on TheAdventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and his executive producer role on the film, Chopper. Clark is also the author of four books. Time Flies and Time Flies Too are Clark's memoirs, which merge the early days of punk and new wave popular music with the truncated British film renaissance of the 1980s and the world of international film finance, and later chronicle his move to Australia and his work there. Clark's first book Raymond Chandler in Hollywood provides an insight into the work of the writer of detective fiction and includes interviews with many of the Hollywood figures who were associated with Raymond Chandler and his films. His second book Making Priscilla, also titled The Lavender Bus: How a Hit Movie Was Made and Sold, is a behind-the-scenes tale outlining the follies of film-making and how The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert became an international success.
The Sixth Commandment is a four-part British true crime television drama series, written by Sarah Phelps and directed by Saul Dibb. Based on the deaths of Peter Farquhar and Ann Moore-Martin, it stars Timothy Spall, Anne Reid, Sheila Hancock, Éanna Hardwicke, Annabel Scholey, and Ben Bailey Smith. Produced by Wild Mercury Productions and True Vision Productions, the series began to air on BBC One on 17 July 2023.
The 45th Annual Australian Film Institute Awards were a series of awards presented by the Australian Film Institute (AFI). The awards celebrated the best in Australian feature film, television, documentary, and short film productions of 2003. The event was held at Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, on 21 November 2003, and was hosted by Tony Squires. Stars presenting the awards included Geoffrey Rush, George Miller, Toni Collette, and Jason Donovan.