Gettin' Square
2003·Comedy·1h 40m
7.1
★
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.
Directed by Jonathan Teplitzky
heist
gold coast
queensland, australia
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Where to Watch
Cast
Sam Worthington
Barry 'Wattsy' Wirth
David Wenham
Johnny Francis 'Spit' Spitieri
Timothy Spall
Darren Barrington
Freya Stafford
Annie Flynn
Gary Sweet
Chicka Martin
Richard Carter
Craig Knob
David Field
Arnie DeViers
Helen Thomson
Marion Barrington
David Roberts
Niall Toole
Luke Pegler
Joey Wirth
Mitchell Butel
Con Katsakis
Gary Waddell
Dennis Obst
Crew
Jonathan Teplitzky
Director
Eric Fellner
Executive Producer
Kris Noble
Executive Producer
Tim Bevan
Executive Producer
Nicholas McCallum
Production Design
Popular Reviews
9 reviews
Shrekeira
6.0★ · 12/26/25
I’ve been wanting to watch this since seeing Spit in March. And I gotta say Spit is SOOOOOOOO MUCH BETTER!! This was kinda boring. Probably won’t watch again.
I still love you Jonny Spit and David Wenham!!! 🫶
I still love you Jonny Spit and David Wenham!!! 🫶
I’ve been wanting to watch this since seeing Spit in March. And I gotta say Spit is SOOOOOOOO MUCH BETTER!! This was kinda boring. Probably won’t watch again.
I still love you Jonny Spit and David Wenham!!! 🫶
I still love you Jonny Spit and David Wenham!!! 🫶
1
Vuria
9.0★ · 04/19/25
2nd watch with the family
your hhonour its a good flick
your hhonour its a good flick
2nd watch with the family
your hhonour its a good flick
your hhonour its a good flick
Vuria
9.0★ · 04/12/25
into my arms, oh lord
into my arms, oh lord
Alfred HitchTOK
7.0★ · 03/14/25
Gettin’ Square feels like a calculated attempt to make an Aussie-fied crack at a Guy Ritchie style crime movie. It succeeds on the basis of having some genuinely hilarious character work, David Wenham in particular, but its central narrative meanders too much before attempting to redeem itself with clever plot mechanics in the last 20 minutes.
Barry (Sam Worthington) has just finished an eight year stint inside and is intent on ‘Gettin’ Square’ (aka going straight) as is Dabba (Timothy Spall) who used his long ago laundered money to open a clientele less steak restaurant, hiring Barry as a chef. But corrupt detectives DeViers (David Field), his crime boss sponser Chicka (Gary Sweet) and a brilliant David Wenham as Spit, a junkie whose loyalty to both Barry and Dabba is admirable, but his chronic stupidity may be all of their downfalls.
The court room scene back and forth between Spit as a witness and smart arse prosecutor Johnathon Biggins is comic GOLD, where the law is not outsmarted, so much as out-dumbed by the sheer exasperation of dealing with a man who is seemingly incapable of deciphering the most standard of court room procedures (to generally hilarious effect). This also has the most Aussie sound design of any more ever, perfectly capturing the slap, slap, slap of thong-ed feet walking on concrete.
I once saw David Field at the Darwin Airport (coincidentally enough where I also watched this movie awaiting QANTAS to book accomodation due to my cancelled flight) and he looked cheery enough, but was too intimidated by his ‘hungry thirsty Oak chocolate milk ad to say hello.
Barry (Sam Worthington) has just finished an eight year stint inside and is intent on ‘Gettin’ Square’ (aka going straight) as is Dabba (Timothy Spall) who used his long ago laundered money to open a clientele less steak restaurant, hiring Barry as a chef. But corrupt detectives DeViers (David Field), his crime boss sponser Chicka (Gary Sweet) and a brilliant David Wenham as Spit, a junkie whose loyalty to both Barry and Dabba is admirable, but his chronic stupidity may be all of their downfalls.
The court room scene back and forth between Spit as a witness and smart arse prosecutor Johnathon Biggins is comic GOLD, where the law is not outsmarted, so much as out-dumbed by the sheer exasperation of dealing with a man who is seemingly incapable of deciphering the most standard of court room procedures (to generally hilarious effect). This also has the most Aussie sound design of any more ever, perfectly capturing the slap, slap, slap of thong-ed feet walking on concrete.
I once saw David Field at the Darwin Airport (coincidentally enough where I also watched this movie awaiting QANTAS to book accomodation due to my cancelled flight) and he looked cheery enough, but was too intimidated by his ‘hungry thirsty Oak chocolate milk ad to say hello.
Gettin’ Square feels like a calculated attempt to make an Aussie-fied crack at a Guy Ritchie style crime movie. It succeeds on the basis of having some genuinely hilarious character work, David Wenham in particular, but its central narrative meanders too much before attempting to redeem itself with clever plot mechanics in the last 20 minutes.
Barry (Sam Worthington) has just finished an eight year stint inside and is intent on ‘Gettin’ Square’ (aka going straight) as is Dabba (Timothy Spall) who used his long ago laundered money to open a clientele less steak restaurant, hiring Barry as a chef. But corrupt detectives DeViers (David Field), his crime boss sponser Chicka (Gary Sweet) and a brilliant David Wenham as Spit, a junkie whose loyalty to both Barry and Dabba is admirable, but his chronic stupidity may be all of their downfalls.
The court room scene back and forth between Spit as a witness and smart arse prosecutor Johnathon Biggins is comic GOLD, where the law is not outsmarted, so much as out-dumbed by the sheer exasperation of dealing with a man who is seemingly incapable of deciphering the most standard of court room procedures (to generally hilarious effect). This also has the most Aussie sound design of any more ever, perfectly capturing the slap, slap, slap of thong-ed feet walking on concrete.
I once saw David Field at the Darwin Airport (coincidentally enough where I also watched this movie awaiting QANTAS to book accomodation due to my cancelled flight) and he looked cheery enough, but was too intimidated by his ‘hungry thirsty Oak chocolate milk ad to say hello.
Barry (Sam Worthington) has just finished an eight year stint inside and is intent on ‘Gettin’ Square’ (aka going straight) as is Dabba (Timothy Spall) who used his long ago laundered money to open a clientele less steak restaurant, hiring Barry as a chef. But corrupt detectives DeViers (David Field), his crime boss sponser Chicka (Gary Sweet) and a brilliant David Wenham as Spit, a junkie whose loyalty to both Barry and Dabba is admirable, but his chronic stupidity may be all of their downfalls.
The court room scene back and forth between Spit as a witness and smart arse prosecutor Johnathon Biggins is comic GOLD, where the law is not outsmarted, so much as out-dumbed by the sheer exasperation of dealing with a man who is seemingly incapable of deciphering the most standard of court room procedures (to generally hilarious effect). This also has the most Aussie sound design of any more ever, perfectly capturing the slap, slap, slap of thong-ed feet walking on concrete.
I once saw David Field at the Darwin Airport (coincidentally enough where I also watched this movie awaiting QANTAS to book accomodation due to my cancelled flight) and he looked cheery enough, but was too intimidated by his ‘hungry thirsty Oak chocolate milk ad to say hello.
Luca Mallory
7.8★ · 10/02/22
★★★✩✩ - Good.
I rented this on a whim despite it being uploaded in full to YouTube after seeing the Avatar rerelase in theaters recently. While I know he's not everyone's cup of tea, Sam Worthington is an actor I respect and enjoy - he did a great job in Avatar, and I actually really liked his performance here as well.
To be perfectly honest, heist movies have never been my thing. I end up getting confused as the plot twists get pulled out, and Gettin' Square ended up being no exception. Maybe it's the fact that I'm sleep deprived. Perhaps it's because I was having a hard time telling characters apart. It could even be the way the film is formatted - I genuinely thought that the movie was in chronological order, so my entire understanding of the plot was compromised when I figured out the first scene wasn't a flashback but a flashforward.
Whatever the case, I ended up losing track of the plot several times - but none of it mattered as I still found myself thoroughly entertained.
As an American who has never been outside the country, I did have trouble understanding the Australian accents - so much so that I had to turn the subtitles on. That being said, once I could understand what was being said, I began to really admire how good the dialogue in this movie is, particularly in any of the scenes involving David Whenam.
Whenam gives a shockingly good - and surprisingly humorous - performance as a withdrawal ridden druggie, with much of the film focusing on him as he steals the spotlight in every scene he's in. Sam Worthington does a great job as well, however, and I think too many people are harsh on his acting chops simply because of his struggle to use an American accent six years later. Personally, his character worked for me, and I could have watched an entire movie about him becoming a chef. I could also have watched a movie about his mended relationship with his brother - a plot point that gets disappointingly little screen time as the film goes on.
With a slightly above average cinematography style and a decent enough soundtrack, the quirky, twisty performances and smart script manage to make a surprisingly complex script work. Even though I didn't understand the ending at all, I still had a fun time and will definitely be watching it again at some point to try and catch what the heck is going on - preferably when I'm not so tired.
I rented this on a whim despite it being uploaded in full to YouTube after seeing the Avatar rerelase in theaters recently. While I know he's not everyone's cup of tea, Sam Worthington is an actor I respect and enjoy - he did a great job in Avatar, and I actually really liked his performance here as well.
To be perfectly honest, heist movies have never been my thing. I end up getting confused as the plot twists get pulled out, and Gettin' Square ended up being no exception. Maybe it's the fact that I'm sleep deprived. Perhaps it's because I was having a hard time telling characters apart. It could even be the way the film is formatted - I genuinely thought that the movie was in chronological order, so my entire understanding of the plot was compromised when I figured out the first scene wasn't a flashback but a flashforward.
Whatever the case, I ended up losing track of the plot several times - but none of it mattered as I still found myself thoroughly entertained.
As an American who has never been outside the country, I did have trouble understanding the Australian accents - so much so that I had to turn the subtitles on. That being said, once I could understand what was being said, I began to really admire how good the dialogue in this movie is, particularly in any of the scenes involving David Whenam.
Whenam gives a shockingly good - and surprisingly humorous - performance as a withdrawal ridden druggie, with much of the film focusing on him as he steals the spotlight in every scene he's in. Sam Worthington does a great job as well, however, and I think too many people are harsh on his acting chops simply because of his struggle to use an American accent six years later. Personally, his character worked for me, and I could have watched an entire movie about him becoming a chef. I could also have watched a movie about his mended relationship with his brother - a plot point that gets disappointingly little screen time as the film goes on.
With a slightly above average cinematography style and a decent enough soundtrack, the quirky, twisty performances and smart script manage to make a surprisingly complex script work. Even though I didn't understand the ending at all, I still had a fun time and will definitely be watching it again at some point to try and catch what the heck is going on - preferably when I'm not so tired.
★★★✩✩ - Good.
I rented this on a whim despite it being uploaded in full to YouTube after seeing the Avatar rerelase in theaters recently. While I know he's not everyone's cup of tea, Sam Worthington is an actor I respect and enjoy - he did a great job in Avatar, and I actually really liked his performance here as well.
To be perfectly honest, heist movies have never been my thing. I end up getting confused as the plot twists get pulled out, and Gettin' Square ended up being no exception. Maybe it's the fact that I'm sleep deprived. Perhaps it's because I was having a hard time telling characters apart. It could even be the way the film is formatted - I genuinely thought that the movie was in chronological order, so my entire understanding of the plot was compromised when I figured out the first scene wasn't a flashback but a flashforward.
Whatever the case, I ended up losing track of the plot several times - but none of it mattered as I still found myself thoroughly entertained.
As an American who has never been outside the country, I did have trouble understanding the Australian accents - so much so that I had to turn the subtitles on. That being said, once I could understand what was being said, I began to really admire how good the dialogue in this movie is, particularly in any of the scenes involving David Whenam.
Whenam gives a shockingly good - and surprisingly humorous - performance as a withdrawal ridden druggie, with much of the film focusing on him as he steals the spotlight in every scene he's in. Sam Worthington does a great job as well, however, and I think too many people are harsh on his acting chops simply because of his struggle to use an American accent six years later. Personally, his character worked for me, and I could have watched an entire movie about him becoming a chef. I could also have watched a movie about his mended relationship with his brother - a plot point that gets disappointingly little screen time as the film goes on.
With a slightly above average cinematography style and a decent enough soundtrack, the quirky, twisty performances and smart script manage to make a surprisingly complex script work. Even though I didn't understand the ending at all, I still had a fun time and will definitely be watching it again at some point to try and catch what the heck is going on - preferably when I'm not so tired.
I rented this on a whim despite it being uploaded in full to YouTube after seeing the Avatar rerelase in theaters recently. While I know he's not everyone's cup of tea, Sam Worthington is an actor I respect and enjoy - he did a great job in Avatar, and I actually really liked his performance here as well.
To be perfectly honest, heist movies have never been my thing. I end up getting confused as the plot twists get pulled out, and Gettin' Square ended up being no exception. Maybe it's the fact that I'm sleep deprived. Perhaps it's because I was having a hard time telling characters apart. It could even be the way the film is formatted - I genuinely thought that the movie was in chronological order, so my entire understanding of the plot was compromised when I figured out the first scene wasn't a flashback but a flashforward.
Whatever the case, I ended up losing track of the plot several times - but none of it mattered as I still found myself thoroughly entertained.
As an American who has never been outside the country, I did have trouble understanding the Australian accents - so much so that I had to turn the subtitles on. That being said, once I could understand what was being said, I began to really admire how good the dialogue in this movie is, particularly in any of the scenes involving David Whenam.
Whenam gives a shockingly good - and surprisingly humorous - performance as a withdrawal ridden druggie, with much of the film focusing on him as he steals the spotlight in every scene he's in. Sam Worthington does a great job as well, however, and I think too many people are harsh on his acting chops simply because of his struggle to use an American accent six years later. Personally, his character worked for me, and I could have watched an entire movie about him becoming a chef. I could also have watched a movie about his mended relationship with his brother - a plot point that gets disappointingly little screen time as the film goes on.
With a slightly above average cinematography style and a decent enough soundtrack, the quirky, twisty performances and smart script manage to make a surprisingly complex script work. Even though I didn't understand the ending at all, I still had a fun time and will definitely be watching it again at some point to try and catch what the heck is going on - preferably when I'm not so tired.