Reel Critics:

Matthew Vaughn produced the sarcastic but very violent caper films “Layer Cake� and “Snatch.� He now brings us a disturbing new movie genre in “Kick-Ass,� targeting younger teens with a strange new mix of cute, profane and vicious parts. Geeky teenagers buy costumes and fancy themselves to be new superheroes. Comic book fun and adventure seems to be the order of the day.

Aaron Johnson plays the lead geek and accidental YouTube hero who calls himself Kick Ass. Nicholas Cage is a good cop whose life is ruined when he is framed by corrupt pals. But newcomer Chloe Grace Moretz steals the show as his 11-year-old daughter, who he’s trained to seek revenge as a ninja assassin. A Catholic schoolgirl pleated skirt and a purple wig are part of her Hit Girl costume.

There are several funny PG scenes of the nerds trying so hard to be important and grown-up. But these scenes are interspersed with hard R-rated graphic violence reminiscent of “Pulp Fiction.� Dozens of people are sliced, diced, beaten and shot to death in stunning close-up. And many of the dead are dispatched by the pretty little 11-year-old girl!

She spouts nasty dialogue full of F-bombs and, worse, while slitting the throats or blowing out the brains of her enemies with a Glock 9mm. If this is now mainstream movie making for youngsters, what is next?

Can love and money square up?

2 illicit lovers + 1 big bag of ill-gotten cash = 1 great little noir thriller in “The Square,� an impressive feature film debut from Australian director Nash Edgerton.

The lack of famous faces keeps the focus on a character-driven story loaded with twists that surprise, even if they shouldn’t. There are bits of plot reminiscent of “Body Heat� and “A Simple Plan,� among others. But the way this story unfolds is not without its ironic pleasures.

“The Square� centers on Ray and Carla, lovers who don’t seem to be terribly driven by love. Desperation to get away from their drab lives and start afresh makes for some really bad choices they’ll have to live with forever — if they live, that is. These are not bright or ethical people, well, there’s an arsonist with his own peculiar moral code, but you find yourself becoming a nervous wreck worrying over their fate.

The director’s brother, Joel Edgerton, also plays the arsonist and, with Matthew Dabner, wrote a tense, realistic script that keeps us off balance. And how many films noir can you recall that featured a canine love story?

JOHN DEPKO is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator for the Orange County public defender’s office. SUSANNE PEREZ lives in Costa Mesa and is an executive assistant for a financial services company.