The Hard Word (2002) User Reviews

Good for a "heist" film

[one2runn2 · 7/10 · 4 March 2004]

This was a really enjoyable film. While it may not have had the most original script, it certainly shines when compared to other, much more lackluster, heist films. I enjoyed this from start to finish and did not find it as formulaic and predictable as many other films in the genre. It's sort of like an Australian version of the film "Confidence," only with better acting and more interesting characters. Guy Pearce throws himself into the role and does not waver.

Even when the focus is on another actor his presence commands the attention of the audience. Few actors are as skilled in stealing a scene without ever saying a word. The female characters are rather one dimensional, but it's a detail that's easily overlooked as they are not the central focus. Definitely worth a visit to the video store.

Not hard enough!

[coolmegawicked · 5/10 · 19 May 2005]

This Aussie crime caper starts promisingly. It introduces an offbeat cast of villains, a clinically-executed heist and a foul smell of duplicity emanating from our heroes' slick lawyer, Frank, aka the world's shiftiest man. So far so 'Lock-Stock', but the film fails to live up to these early expectations.

All apparent intricacies within the plot are then swiftly abandoned. Frank, it transpires, is a very bad man indeed, just as our hero-criminals are rather good-humoured, decent sorts. And so our three goodies (Dale, Shane and Mal) go off to work for baddie Frank, knowing full well that he's a baddie and don't seem too astonished when Frank rips them off, stealing their $10 million and Dale's wife. Eventually everyone gets fed up with Frank, and in a truly bizarre final scene, they turn him into a sausage.

The underlying flaw in the film is that it fails to explore the characters or situations in a new or interesting way. Furthermore, there is no suspense after the first hour - the tension seems to decrease as the film progresses. And although the brothers interact very entertainingly, we learn next to nothing about their lives together, making it hard to empathise with them, or to feel that they even deserve their final happy end.

from under a big nose

[ptb-8 · 6/10 · 30 September 2006]

Tough and profane, THE HARD WORD is a nasty little gem filmed in Australia during the criminal caper comedy run of production themes from 1999-2003. Like DIRTY DEEDS the same year, it was harshly judged and slid at the box office, but on a big screen it was quite enjoyable in its deliberately mean way. With an excellent cast including Guy Pearce and Rachel Griffiths, it also features a hugely silly putty nose stuck on Pearce's face. God knows why. Also in the cast are two of Australia's best character actors... the gorgeous Rhondda Findleton (see her also in LOVE IN LIMBO) and the adorable hilarious Torquil Neilson (from the equally maligned farce LET'S GET SKASE). Both these support actors would be big stars if on TV overseas but they just never get big release parts here in Australia... bit like the superb he man Jack Campbell from THE NOSTRDAMUS KID and charming Nicolas Beaumont. THE GUARDIAN star from TV Simon Baker ( of L.A. Confidential)seems to have taken all the roles for these guys in one career. THE HARD WORD is a wannabee heist caper with some nasty behavior. Sam Genocchio's 2004 micro budget crime calamity GET RICH QUICK also attempted the same Aussie genre with genuinely disgusting and hilarious results. Wait until you see how Rachel Griffiths greets Guy Pearce peering at her from behind the glass prison visiting room window in THE HARD WORD.... I hope she wasn't sitting next to her Mum at the premiere for that scene to unfold. Rachel! what a thing to agree to be photographed doing with that smile on your face! John Waters would have been thrilled.

Heist Movie Down Under

[noralee · 15 July 2003]

"The Hard Word" is a gritty, sexy, Australian take on the double-crossing heist movie.

We get to hear Guy Pearce (long-haired and greasy) and Rachel Griffiths (blonde and wet) go native in their accents in an entertainingly original script by first-time director Scott Roberts.

While not the first film to have quirky brothers-in-crime as the comfortable loyalty fulcrum, the familial psychological pathologies make for a nice counterpoint to the friends', foes', and femme fatale's twists and turns. There's more jokes and ironic humor than even the violence, which helps to block out some quizzical plot turns.

The movie never tells us that the title is Ozzie slang, among other blunt phrases used throughout (such as the tendency of Ozzie blokes to affectionately call each other the "c" word). My Down Under friend Bronwyn translates (used with her permission): "In it's 'ultimate' usage it means to pressure someone for sex. If you were talking to a girlfriend who went out on a date with someone new, you might ask 'did he put the hard word on?' However, it is sometimes also used just in a general sense of exerting pressure. In fact, it was in a headline in our local suburban paper ("The Leader") yesterday: 'Minister puts the hard word on district pollies [politicians].' An article about the State Minister for Local Government pushing the local councils to sort out boundary reforms."

a bloody good time!

[heymuche · 7/10 · 31 May 2002]

What a great aussie film! Good humour - our (pretty full) audience was loving it. Great performances by all involved. And some good music to set the whole crime mood. I liked this better than Two Hands - the cast and the jokes put it above.

The story basically follows 3 brothers Dale (guy Pearce), Shane (Joel Edgerton) and Mal (Damien Richardson) who are bank robbers. We find them in prison on the day they get released. A peroxide blonde Rachel Griffiths plays Carol, Dale's wife, who has been sleeping with the brothers lawyer Frank (Robert Taylor who one of the agents in The Matrix). And together they all plan to execute Australia's biggest heist!

Joel Edgerton (who was Uncle Owen in a 2 minute Star Wars 2 role) is exceptional, I love how he plays a bit of psycho! He was the standout for me - he had a much larger part than I had expected garnering more screen time than Rachel Griffiths. Guy and Rachel were terrific, Guy especially found that spark he had with Priscilla Queen Of The Desert. And I really enjoyed Damien Richardson, he gave Mal nice aussie bloke appeal. I liked the scene in the prison kitchen with Mal & Tony (Greg Fleet) - well all their scenes together were good actually, they were kind of quirky funny. Vince Colosimo (from Lantana fame) as usual is gorgeous and as I said before the whole cast were great!

It is extremely violent - I can see why its original title was Blood and Guts. Lots of blood, fair bit of swearing and some general naughtiness makes this film a bloody good time!

Good Aussie Crime Romp

[zenophobe · 7/10 · 12 June 2016]

Glad I ran into part of this movie on TV and enjoyed enough of what I saw to stop and get the entire movie to watch.

It's a romp in that some segments are a bit cartoonish and comic in nature and the violence in it isn't anything emotionally jarring or tramautic.

Fans of Pierce and Edgerton will probably watch this while going through their catalog of films and I think they won't be displeased although my favorite character was the sausage making good-natured and lovable 3rd brother Mal played by Damien Richardson.

For those still skeptical, just give it a watch and see if it doesn't catch you in the first 20 or so minutes.

Nothing-special crime drama.

[gridoon · 7/10 · 23 September 2004]

"The Hard Word" is your standard bloodbath-with-a-comic-flavor of the month. The fact that it comes from Australia only proves than Australian filmmakers are good at imitating American filmmakers who are good at imitating other American filmmakers who are good at.... But it has its share of amusing moments, and some appropriately edgy performances; Pearce and Griffiths have real chemistry on screen. I think **1/2 out of 4 is a pretty fair rating for this movie.

Probably what I expected

[tastyhotdogs · 6/10 · 25 December 2005]

With lots of holiday time on my hands, decided to tape this and watch later. Didn't particularly want to see it, but figured it was worth a chance.

The story is about 3 bank-robbing brothers, caught up in a mess with a bunch of crooked cops. They basically keep spending time between robbing banks and prison. When a huge heist opportunity comes their way, revolving around the Melbourne Cup, they see their chance to get out for good with a nice lump sum of cash money.

The cast is solid, featuring Guy Pearce (Mike from "Neighbours"), Joel Edgerton and Rachel Griffiths, the storyline is OK, but the story just bugged me. The language is pretty rough, there's some odd sexual content and the movie really starts to drag. A lot more effort should have gone into the heist scenes than some of the stuff they dabbled in (eg relationships, mental health, salmonella) with no depth, making it pointless.

Had potential, but went nowhere.

Ill conceived rubbish

[s3160292 · 4/10 · 6 March 2003]

The Hard Word is the result of what happens when you take a bunch of OK ideas, string them together and just hope the rest falls into place. Unfortunately it doesn't. the film tries to be a character driven piece, but never bothers developing its characters. This film is hard to connect with. At no point does it actively engage its audience. A bunch of stuff happens, but you just don't care.

The script is second rate at best. More often than not, trite contrivances drive the story and characters do completely illogical things (often going out of their way to do so) for no reason. I've heard more better conceived and more logical storylines from my 6 year old nephew. Half the characters could easily be written out of the film without affecting the film in any negative way (take Rachel Griffiths character; half her involvement in the film seems like an afterthought - something they came up with when the producers realised they had a "real" actress on board).

Acting is a highly mixed bag. Most of the characters aren't too bad, but some are awful. The character "Frank" had the worst timing for delivering lines I've ever come across in a major character. Many of the extras or minor characters are crap.

A poorly directed mess, which at the same time is not unwatchable. wait until it's on TV, or if you're really keen to see it video. Certainly not worth the time or money on the big screen. 4/10

Where have we seen this film before,?

[jaybob · 6/10 · 9 June 2007]

I am glad that there were sub-titles available for this Australian heist & chase film, as the accents nearly made it hard to understand the dialog.

Guy Pierce & Rachel Griffisth are the stars & they do well.Joel Edgerton, Damien Richardson & Robert Taylor are on hand as well & they too do a fine job,.

However, we have seen this tale ( 3 likable Brothers are released from prison---one of their wives is sleeping with their lawyer,) We have seen variations of this too many times to be taken in,.. There are heists, chases, double crosses romances etc..

The settings are locations (some very beautiful) in the Sydney & Melbourne area,

Even though the story is familiar, It is too convoluted to sustain much interest.

Ratings **1/2 (out of 4) 71 points (out of 100) IMDb 6 (out of 10)

Decent, but unoriginal

[Cohencidence · 4/10 · 21 July 2003]

In a time that has seen so many crime movies and romances, a movie must present something original to be memorable. While everything about this movie is solid, it is underdone, unoriginal, and pretty much forgettable.

Down Underworld noir thriller

[F Gwynplaine MacIntyre · 8/10 · 3 July 2003]

'The Hard Word' is an excellent, well-paced Australian movie, straddling the genres of the American noir caper film and the British thick-ear crime drama. Some of the sequences in this movie remind me of scenes in 'The Asphalt Jungle', 'The Killing', 'La Jetee', the Peter Sellers comedy 'Two-Way Stretch' and even 'Eating Raoul' ... but 'The Hard Word' is definitely a one-off original, and it's very good.

The early scenes in this film take place in the Australian prison system. I've done some prison time Down Under (in my original name, before I changed it), and I found these scenes extremely realistic. Seppos and Poms (Yanks and Brits) will have difficulty understanding the Strine slang in this movie; for instance, when an inmate shouts 'Half yer (expletive) luck!', it's not instantly clear to non-Australians that this means 'I wish I was half as lucky as you.' Also, American audiences will be confused by this movie's references to racetrack 'bookies'. In Australia (as in Britain, but unlike in the States), bookies are lawful businessmen ('turf accountants') who privately take bets at sporting events, as independent contractors.

And most confusing of all for audiences outside Australia: some of the dialogue in 'The Hard Word' is spoken in 'butcher talk'. This is never explained in the movie, so I'll reveal that butcher talk (or 'rehctub klat') is the dialect used by (real-life) Australian criminals for covert conversations in public ... in which every word is spoken BACKWARDS, very rapidly. Even if you know the secret, you won't understand a conversation in 'butcher' unless you've practised a lot. (In Britain, criminals have a gimmick called 'backslang' which is a simpler version of the same thing.) Several times in 'The Hard Word', the dialogue is brilliantly ambiguous, carrying two meanings at the same go.

Three felons are released on the same day: violent Dale, easy-going Malcolm and Pepsi-swilling mother-obsessed Shane. (The dialogue identifies them as brothers; they don't look remotely alike, but that line explains why they stick together no matter what.) As soon as they get out, our lads participate in an armoured-car robbery that's been set up by their crooked lawyer Frank ... but Frank might be setting them up for a fall. And while the lads were 'inside', Frank has been having a go with Dale's sexy wife Carol. Rachel Griffiths, who plays Dale's wife, is not conventionally beautiful ... but in this film she gives one of the sexiest performances I've ever seen on screen.

SLIGHT SPOILERS COMING. There are some eye-catching frame compositions in this film; all credit to director/scripter Scott Roberts. But several pieces of business seem to be set up only to create odd images on screen. A rival gangster lures Dale into a trap by disguising himself as Dale's wife and then hiding in their bed with a gun; I found this wildly unlikely. Frank kills another gangster by cramming a lava lamp into his mouth: no blood, no broken teeth; just an interesting visual composition. One long sequence takes place inside a restaurant shaped like a giant cow.

An actor named Robert Taylor (doesn't he know that this name's been used before?) is very good as Frank, the brothers' crooked lawyer. Frank dies a horrible death. How to get rid of the corpse? We know that Malcolm is handy with a sausage-grinder, and in the next scene we see him grilling some FRANK-furters on the barbie. That pun is no coincidence. (Damien Richardson is a revelation as Malcolm.)

On several occasions, the crooks jeopardise their own well-planned caper by brawling or arguing; I found this a very accurate depiction of criminal behaviour. Yet there's one very implausible plot twist during the robbery at the Melbourne Cup, when Shane is supposed to open a locked door by typing a 4-figure number into a numeric keypad ... but a henchman named Tarzan insists on doing it himself, even though he's dyslexic. Doesn't Tarzan realise that his dyslexia disqualifies him from this job? Sure enough, he mucks it up.

During the caper sequences, I kept expecting to see the cliché shot from every caper film ... when a swag-bag rips open, and banknotes go flying in all directions. Blessedly, that hackneyed image never came. For most of its length, 'The Hard Word' commendably avoids clichés. I thought Rhondda Findleton quite sexy as an anger-management counsellor with a semi-Louise Brooks hairbob, but I was annoyed when her character became that prison-movie cliché: the sexy female prison staffer who goes home every night and can get any man she wants on the outside, yet who becomes sexually involved with one of the inmates a few minutes after she meets him! I couldn't believe that this woman would be having sex with Shane ... it would have been much more plausible if she had merely **led him on**, arousing herself with his sexual frustration while offering him no release.

At the very end of this flick, the three brothers and Carol are striding purposefully towards the camera. 'Please', I thought, 'please do NOT commit that horrible cliché of freeze-framing the final shot.' Instead of a freeze-frame, the final image went into a slo-mo ... which is also a cliché, but not quite so hackneyed yet. Despite a few complaints, I'm vastly impressed with this highly entertaining movie. I'll rate 'The Hard Word' 8 points out of 10. Nice one, cobber!

Not perfect but generally entertaining and watchable

[mab8485 · 6/10 · 23 August 2003]

Entertaining yarn about 3 manipulated convict brothers who are used by their lawyer (who is ----ing the main characters ie. Pearce's, wife played by Griffiths) to carry out robberies, mainly for the lawyer and 2 corrupt cops' benefit. The final Melbourne Cup heist actually occurred in the late 1970's. You do find yourself rooting for the three brothers and rooting against both the corrupt cops and the lawyer. The weaknesses were that (1) very occasionally it seemed like a TV movie (especially as similar roles had been played by some characters before on TV)and (2)the section where they escape with a drunk blonde with the loot is unconvincing. However, excluding those weaknesses, it is an enjoyable movie with a satisfying ending.

Yes, the Aussies can also make rotten movies.

[aristides-1 · 1/10 · 17 March 2005]

This atrocious film shows that untalented hustlers can also get their films made in Australia. Some SPOILER comments intertwined: From the incomprehensible opening having to do with three cons being sprung (by prison officials?) to pull a heist, to the heist itself, shown as a precision job that probably couldn't have been pulled off EVEN with day-by-day, month-by-month practice......something the incarcerated guys couldn't have done.......to the mostly un-understandable language used; the director sub-titled prison argot, which was a good idea, should have sub-titled most of the rest of the movie. Where shall I go from here; too much to choose from. But the scene where on the first day of being back in the joint, one of the brother gang members invades the private space of a prison shrink......and then begins an (ultimate) successful seduction......to the "comic" third brother, who falls deeply in love with a woman casually chosen on the street for a carjacking, this movie virtually always makes the wrong, non-logical, non-real and non-believable way of telling a story. Oh yes, for those of you who pick up a movie's press kit and are told that a movie is an "action/ comedy", the using of the word "comedy" isn't supposed to do the job of making you smile or laugh. One needs humorous scenes or funny moments to meet that description. I'm limited to a thousand words and could take this film apart, almost scene by scene but let me add the following: there are more than several key scenes where results happen that are never explained (more SPOILER): How did the corrupt lawyer possibly figure out where the stolen $10 million was hidden but since he was apparently the one who stole it why would he then, six months later, track down the three brothers and threaten them with prison if they didn't go after a huge heist? Since he tried to have them murdered previously, what kind of schmuck would be so out of it to approach the would-be victims? Awful, awful movie.

Lock Stock and Aussie?

[kurt120 · 21 January 2003]

Big time Hollywood star Guy Pearce returns to his old stomping grounds in Australia to headline crime thriller The Hard Word. Straight out of the pages of a Robert G Barrett or Gary Disher novel, The Hard Word has plenty of p(l)ot holes, making for an occasionally bumpy ride. But it does the job as a gritty Australian crime story. Also owes something to the direction of Guy Ritchie as several times I felt like I was watching an Australian version of Lock Stock. Pearce heads a trio of bank robbing brothers stuck in jail, waiting to be released by their employers – high profile members of the police force and their lawyer. Upon their release they become involved in a new scam, developed by their crooked lawyer, which could make them very rich. The old criminal traps of sex and greed rear their head however, producing a cataclysmic reaction. Joining Pearce in a quality Australian cast are Golden Globe winner Rachel Griffiths, Joel Edgerton (The Secret Life of Us), Damien Richardson, Vince Colosimo and Kym Gyngell. The real beauty of this film is that it' obviously Australian. So many Aussie films these days pander to the American market by reducing the Australian identity. However, in The Hard Word we see the back streets of Melbourne and Sydney, the tarmac entrances to the cities and even our nation's obsession with big objects gets a run. There's been no attempt to make the cities and other backdrops more glamorous and therefore less identifiably Australian. The crims in this film live on the edge of their seats, like real criminals everywhere. They are hard men, but with personalities like you and me. Not like the characters we are served in American movies who drive around in flash vehicles, live in mansions and take great delight in getting involved in car chases with police. These guys live in the shade, avoiding confrontation and identification where able. It is this respect for Australia and the determination of the film makers to give The Hard Way some substantive local grit that makes it a successful film, proving that not all Australian movies have to be quirky. Weekly recommended movie: Two Hands (1999) starring Heath Ledger, Bryan Brown, Rose Byrne and Tom Long. If you loved The Hard Word, then this is certainly the movie for you.

Mediocre Film. Poor script.. Doesn't know where it's going !

[newcastleboy · 1/10 · 3 June 2002]

Summary:

Script: Very poor. Plot doesn't know where it's going; proves uneventful.

Cast: Wonderful cast, but they are wasted in this travesty of a film.

Verdict: I resented wasting $12.80 on this piece of garbage. The only good news was it was probably the pick of the films I saw that weekend. It was better than the Mothman Prophecies, and Kikujuro was so sickly sachharin I was almost spewing in the aisle.

I know, we're told to go along, and are encouraged to support the Australian film industry, but with films like The Hard Word coming out, every now and then, I think we shouldn't have a film industry. Thank god for films like Lantana and Alibrandi, which are films which prove we have at least some good directors and actors in Australia, still.

The hard word for this flick is "ordinary".

[=G= · 5/10 · 18 October 2003]

"The Hard Word", just another B-flick about a bunch of people after a bunch of money, sticks Pearce front and center with a beard and perpetual sneer as a bad/good guy with Griffiths looking equally out of her element as his blond bimbo in a padded bra. Everything about this convoluted flick is ordinary, uninspired, and just so much of the same old stuff we've all seen soooooo many times before. "The Hard Word" does not distinguish itself in any way and is probably destined to die a slow death on late night Aussie tv. A step backward for Pearce and Griffiths. Not recommendable. (C)

Australian larrikins better than Tarantino

[romper-2 · 8/10 · 31 May 2002]

This film demonstrates a larrikin-ness that differentiates Australian films within a genre from their American equivalents. There are some scenes that are Tarantino-like, but I don't think that there is meant to be any real comparison. There is a lightness here and what appears to be a refusal to take itself seriously as a genre piece.

The main performances are stand-out, especially Guy Pearce and Rachel Griffiths. However, some of the minor characters appear to be there only to support plot movement. The best of these is Kate Atkinson as a ditzy blonde, but the rest are cardboard-cutout caricatures.

From an Australian perspective, it was nice to see Paul Sonkilla reprising his police hardman roles from some of my favourite TV series, although he appears to be slightly typecast.

I found the cinematography and the sound production quite well done and overall I really enjoyed this regardless of the small flaws, which end up looking more like positive traits - keeping the feel of the movie real and not produced to death, which is a problem I find with so many Hollywood films.

A scene or two too far

[threeJane · 4/10 · 8 June 2002]

This film started off so great, although I couldn't figure out if Rachel Griffiths was supposed to look sexy or not. It was shaping up really nicely when suddenly it went all Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrelsish. So I was settling for that, then right at the end (or really what should have been beyond the final scene), there was a scene or two that added nothing. In fact they detracted. The joke just brought the quality of the movie down, and freeze-frame of cool-looking people in sunglasses was unoriginal and irrelevant, even incongruous. I did like the male performances though.

It pays to see this tough and refreshing Aussie crime flick!

[Old Joe · 21 June 2002]

In my time, I have seen many films that have shown the bad side of people's lives, with The Hard Word being no exception. This film has it all. The tough guys using, aussie language, committing major crimes and misdemeanors and most importantly, they are having a ‘bloody' good time while they are doing it. If I was to be part of thieving gang, then I would ask for a ticket to join in with the close-nit robbers known as the `Twentyman's'.

Meet the Twentyman brothers, Dale, Shane and Mal: hard bitten thieves with a self imposed honour code that demands nobody gets hurt. The three are languishing in a Sydney prison on remand for armed robbery. Dale, the level-headed leader of the Twentyman pack, is helping the trio focus their life beyond crime, while he focuses on his wife Carol. Middle child Mal is affable sort, whose love for butchery helps him while away hours behind bars. Shane, the youngest, is a loveable lunatic with a short fuse. When word comes that their corrupt and well connected lawyer frank has secured them bail, the boys whisked off to perform a ‘job' and all goes well. Frank has greased the appropriate wheels, ensuring the local cops don't cause trouble, yet the brother's find themselves back in the slammer all too quickly. Frank bullies the brother's into one last heist; a grandiose scheme that will either liberate or kill them, once and for all!

I really enjoyed this Australian piece of cinematography. The cast of this film was big, but extremely good. The three ‘Twentyman brothers', were played well by there acting talent. I really feel that Guy Pearce has been a breath of fresh in the movie industry, whether it be in his home country, or overseas. He played the careful and leading Dale. I really liked what Pearce did in this role. He was extremely intense, but in way a seriously dangerous character, though his chosen life would say otherwise. All he wanted was to do the ‘jobs' and be able to live comfortably. Guy has some impressive movies on the CV, including the brilliant L.A. Confidential, Memento and the very feminine `Priscilla, Queen Of the Desert' . The other star of this show is another Australia acting talents, Rachel Griffith. Like Guy Pearce, she lightens up the screen as only she can, and has been refreshing to the movie industry. She played the ‘tart', Carol, wife of our leading crime man. She was perfect for this role. I feel that no other actress could have got it better. Griffiths has had a good time of late and is about to star in the upcoming movie on the famous Australian bushranger, Ned Kelly, and has been in the recent movie hit, Blow, starring Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruise.

Dale's younger brother Shane, is played by ‘Secret Life of Us' star Joel Edgerton. Shane is a very angry criminal, but is also very cheeky in what he does, to help his jail-ridden brothers, taste freedom once again. His character, is I am sure what young people are like when they dabble in crime. Joel has starred in other movies like Erskinville Kings, Star Wars Episode II and Ned Kelly. The other Twentyman brother was played by actor Damien Richardson. I enjoyed how he acted in this character immensely. He was so typically ‘Australian' in almost everything he did and said. Yet he was also like Dale in that he was in it for the ‘cash', and to not hurt anyone. Look I could on about the cast of this film, with good roles from Robert Taylor, who played the scheming lawyer Frank, comedian Kym Gyngell, Russell Dykstra, Rhondda Findleton and Vince Colosmo.

Yet this film also had a wonderful story and showed off the landscape that it had beautifully. The film's story was written by its director Scott Roberts. I feel he put the right amount of Aussie colloquialisms in it, to make me feel like it is a part of my everyday life. Yet this story, while it might be simple in parts, was an extremely clever in how it was written, with the premise of three brother's being in jail for crimes they have committed, very ingenious. A mention of the language that this film has is important. Swearing is now being accepted more than ever by society, yet in the movies it seems to still shock many people. The Hard word had plenty of ‘Hard words', but were used in a suitable context. What do you expect from harden criminals anyway? However, the work of the cinematographer also needs a mention here. This role was taken on by Brian J. Beheny, who showed off the attractions of both Sydney and Melbourne well in this film. As a former Melbournian resident, the way this film used Melbourne was really rewarding for me personally.

For me, living a life of crime would be a an extremely difficult choice, as I feel the tag ‘crime does not pay', is good motivation not to experiment in unlawful activities. In a way, this movie shows that tag to be true. Yet this film shows the other side to crime well. To see how these bad guys stick together and are so faithful towards each other is exceptional. When you are about to watch this film, you could be mistaken for knowing what to except, but let me assure you, that once you have viewed ‘the Hard Word', the characters' and most of their actions will amaze you, to the point that you would never have imagined or forget. This is another positive step forward for the Australian movie industry.

CMRS gives ‘The Hard Word': 5 (Brilliant film)

disapointed

[bosscain · 5/10 · 4 August 2003]

I was kinda disappointed in this movie,I though that Guy Pearce,that usually does good in movies(Memento,Count of Monte Cristo,Time Machine)would be able to save this one.but sadly it was to far gone even for him.seems like it was poorly edited or just quickly slapped together.

Aussie flick is hard to define...but at least it 's unpredictable...

[Doylenf · 5/10 · 8 October 2006]

My only reason for watching this is because I caught the tail end of it on cable and saw the ending before I saw the re-run of the film starring GUY PEARCE, an actor whom I liked in L.A. CONFIDENTIAL and MEMENTO. It's no more than an average crime caper movie but watchable enough to pass the time.

It's one of those hard to define flicks about a trio of hoodlums (brothers, actually) who are exploited by a crooked lawyer and, in the end, decide to take revenge. That's the basic plot in a nutshell, with some equally corrupt cops thrown into the mix. But first time Aussie director Scott Roberts has taken some very far out material with lots of quirky potential and turned it into a fairly interesting heist film that moves swiftly toward a most unlikely ending. Along the way there are a lot of twists and turns--watch especially for the crucial scene where Pearce decides to take care of the corrupt lawyer all by himself until the unexpected happens.

RACHEL GRIFFITHS is effectively cunning as Pearce's blonde and trashy wife, and JOEL EDGERTON has fun with his role as the wildest brother who is most brazen about his prison behavior with a counselor. A guy by the name of ROBERT TAYLOR is apparently unaware of his moniker's use by an already famous classic star.

With a serious/comic flavor, it starts out promisingly but turns into an average thriller aided and abetted by an upbeat musical score.

Warning: Lots of profanity, sexual doings and coarse lingo make it unacceptable for the kiddies. A major flaw are the heavy Australian accents which blur much of the dialog.

If you loved Chopper...

[saltaylor · 10/10 · 15 May 2002]

Stellar performances from Guy Pierce (thankfully redeeming himself here after Time Machine) and Joel Edgerton - (best known for playing lovable Will on the TV show Secret Life of Us).

It's a smart, funny movie that keeps the action moving along at a satisfyingly snappy pace. However, the ending is somewhat disjointed and throughout the film you get the feeling that Scott Roberts had lots of good scenes in his head (and they ARE good) that he wanted to put on screen, but that they don't necessarily all work together.

Nonetheless it's a highly enjoyable movie in the Chopperesque genre of darkly funny gritty dramas that Australia is beginning to earn a well-deserved reputation for.

"Different" and "good" are not synonymous

[luridlarry · 4/10 · 18 July 2003]

This film, though it succeeds in digressing from the standard "Heist Movie" formula (worn down to an imperceptible nub of its once original splendor), makes no effort to be what one would term "good". It seems that Scott Roberts got so caught up in his efforts to avoid convention, that he forgot to give the plot any direction, or make the movie remotely entertaining. There were times when it was clear that he was going out of his way to disappoint expectations, but without results that were worth the effort. More than once a character was introduced that played an important part of the story, that would then disappear completely without apology. If this were to in some way improve the story or the point, I would understand; but instead it came off as a juvenile device. "Look at how unexpected that was. Did you see, nobody ever does that." Well, nobody (at least not anyone that produces a film for public consumption) has put a gerbil in a blender and filmed it, but I'm not gonna expect people to be impressed if I'm the first.

While I am tired of the same movie coming out over and over again under different titles, with different superstars playing the same role, I do think that there are conventions in writing that are necessary for all but the few geniuses who know how to break the rules (and usually, they follow others). Certain conventions (creating characters about whom we care and fleshing them out; creating a discernable and engaging plot; moving naturally from event to event) can be utilized in original screenplays. I know. I've seen it done.

There is nothing more wrong with convention than there is with originatily. It is only quality that matters. And it is there that this movie fell shorter than legless munchkin.

An excellent antidote to Hollywood's silliness!

[diane-34 · 8 June 2002]

I loved The Hard Word and was wrapped in the totality of the experience that showed none of the shortcomings as related by others who commented on this film.

I thought that the scripting and direction of Scott Roberts was very good: the inevitability of the consequences that unraveled as the script progressed had a Shakespearian inevitability about it As a viewer I sat watching this all too real story unfold knowing nothing good was going to happen for any player in this strange dance of death but being powerless to change any of the pieces that formed the inescapable conclusion to all that would befall the players.

The script worked itself out without being forced through the Hollywood funnel which can do little but transform reality into something palatable

for the mid-American diet: movies as a metaphor for fast food.