Customer Reviews

The Hard Word

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

after reading some of these reviews its obvious that some of you are missing the point entirely. This is not a preposterous diamond heist film such as 'entrapment', nor is it one of these garbage hollywood films made to a formula involving an inordinate number of double, triple and quadruple crossings. the only american film which i would really compare it to at all is the similarly gritty and blackly comic classic 'reservoir dogs'.

first of all, the three main characters are not brothers, although it seems a blurb somewhere must have said this. the reason they speak the butcher's tongue is due to their time in the slammer.

secondly, i feel the way that the guys KNOW theyre going to get screwed over by their lawyer ADDS to the suspense. the fun is in seeing how he tries to do it, not "is the good guy a bad guy or a good guy pretending to be a bad guy so he can double cross the bad guy who is actually playing for both sides whilst sleeping with the good guys wife etc. etc."

also, i felt the robberies were very realistic. whats more likely to come off, robbing a bunch of intoxicated bookies after all the security guards have gone home (on a side note the melbourne cup is a hugely significant sporting event on the australian calendar, a nuance perhaps missed by our american friends), or breaking into a bank, disabling the security system with non-existent electrical equipment and lugging 50 tonnes of gold bars away from a 12-inch thick lead vault?

enough of that, the idea behind the film was to illustrate the human qualities of these flawed characters - after all, are these theives really any worse than shady politicians or mass tort lawyers? ive gotta agree that rachel griffiths looks a bit she-malish, but if theyd got liz hurley theyd also have got her acting ability! the role called for a tart not a glamour model.

all in all, i thought it was a very original and emotionally involving film, certainly one of the best crime thrillers of the past few years, with especially fantastic performances by joel edgerton and guy pearce

I've seen this film compared to "Ocean's Eleven" and I think the comparison is an insult to "The Hard Word".

While less stylized, and more conventional than "Snatch" and "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels," Guy Ritchie fans will probably enjoy this movie.

There's plenty of Australian style dark humor (reminiscent of "Two Hands" and "Chopper") strewn throughout the film with solid performances from Guy Pearce and Rachel Griffiths. Overall, it's a lot less predicable than most of the "Heist" films of recent memory.

The Hard Word is an Aussie film starring Guy Pearce (Time Tunnel)and Rachel Griffiths (Six Feet Under). A clever storyline focussing on three criminals who are promised freedom if they do one more job for the big guys - showing that corruption exists at the top, and that a promise is not always a promise. The film borders on comedy, but overall is a great suspense drama. If you enjoy this, you will also enjoy "Two Hands" starring Heath Ledger and Bryan Brown - another fantastic Aussie film.

Scott Roberts' first directorial effort "Hard Word" is a decent cops & robbers flick, made good because it is filled with humor and doesn't take itself seriously. Roberts who recently was used as a voice in the D.I.C.E. animae series does a pretty good job of keeping up the pace and the antics. Food poisoning and hiding the money in a cow give the film a quirky edge. Guy Pearce who has played in "The Count of Monte Cristo," "The Time Machine," & "Memento" does a good job as Dale Twentyman, the brains behind three brothers who excel at bank robberies. His heavy-set brother Mal is a nice guy who works as a butcher in the local prison. Although he hasn't does many films ("Josh Jarman" & "Horseplay"), Damian Richardson brings sweetness to the film, as when he falls for Pamela played by Kate Atkinson who was in "The Japanese Story" with Toni Collette. Joel Edgerton plays Shane, the brother with anger management issues, and has a thin trigger when it comes to going off half cocked. Edgerton has been in "Ned Kelly," "Kinky Boots," & "Open Window." In "The Hard Word" he seems to fall for the prison counselor Jane Moore played by Rondola Findleton ("Sugarland Factory"). Moore apparently has thin training and reveals much about her personal life and falls for Shane, eventually letting him suckle at her breast from a hospital bed. If the good guys are bank robbers, the bad guy is lawyer Frank Malone played by Robert Taylor who was an agent in "The Matrix." Taylor is slimy as Malone, but not memorable enough to really make us cheer when he bites the bullet. Dorian Nkono as the dyslexic triggerman Tarzan is funny as he misreads numbers and starts blowing people away, violating the hard word that no one gets hurt.

That said, the shining star of the film is Rachel Griffiths. She got her Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for "Hillary & Jackie" in 1998 and won the same category Golden Globe award in 2001 for "Six Feet Under" and was nominated for the Best Actress in a TV movie or mini-series Golden Globe in 2002. As Carol, she plays it loose while her husband Dale is in prison, making time with Frank to keep Dale alive. She's always got a glimmer in her step and wiggle in her walk that creates film magic. While not a perfect or most original film ever made, "The Hard Word" works successfully. Enjoy!

I got to see this the other day & loved it. It had been labelled as a "Lock, stock..." style movie. It wasn't. That is to say, it was a lot less violent, but still had a very watchable story.

Ignore the comments about the Australian "slang" used throughout the movie. There are some moments where a certain dialogue is used and, you may need the sub-titles on to understand it (and it's not local "slang"), but this should not detract from the rest of the movie.

Guy Pearce & Joel Edgerton portray very good roles as angry cons, who will take on anyone that get in their way, but in a generally, non-violent fashion.

Without giving too much of the plot away, it's certainly worth watching.

What I found increasingly frustrating about THE HARD WORD is the fact that, as the story progressed, I wanted to like the film. I've always thought the Guy Pearce was an actor just waiting for the right role, and he certainly did his part. And, with her winning performance on ME, MYSELF, AND I as well as HBO's stellar SIX FEET UNDER, who can't appreciate the beauty, grace, and talent of Rachel Griffiths? But, in the end, THE HARD WORD delivers the hard truth that films -- like armed robbery -- are not as easy as they might appear.

Pearce and friends star as professional armed robbers, but the paper thin plot makes professional robbery appear as simple as flipping burgers at the corner McDonald's. Having seen more than my fair share of heist and/or caper flicks, I can only assume that this is far from the reality. However, Pearce and his cohorts have been able to score big without ever (EVER!!!) hurting so much as a single person. As this one single plot element gets even more incredulous as the jobs grow in difficulty from beginning to end, the writing falls apart. The acting stays on par -- Pearce and Griffiths, especially, make the best of what they've been asked to do. Sadly, the script fails them miserably.

Still, THE HARD WORD is not a film one should feel guilty about watching or even enjoying. The editing is brisk and economical. There's rarely a dull moment. Some of the bit parts (the cute woman who drives the escaped cons halfway to Sydney) gets great mileage out of only a few lines. The ensemble delivers some nice acting and some solid laughs. Be forewarned, though: the packaging compares this film to THE ITALIAN JOB, and the only similarity I could find is the fact that both films were filmed in non-US countries.

Film history is rife with caper films, many of which have left a blueprint on the right way and the wrong way. Perhaps two of the best were THE STING with its twisting plot lines and recently THE ITALIAN JOB with its high level action mixed into those twists. If one were to compare every movie to those two, nothing might ever garner a good review. So when you see something like this movie, you should enter it without preconceived notions.

The story revolves around three brothers in jail doing time for robbery. It's a nice way to live for them as the warden and their attorney Frank (Robert Taylor) have worked it out so the trio can take time off from prison to pull off a heist only to use it as their alibi.

The trio has an obvious ringleader in Dale Twentyman (Guy Pearce). He is the brains behind the group. The other brothers are more than likeable with Shane (Joel Edgerton) the good looking brother with a violent temper over trivial matters and Mal (Damien Richardson) the kind of goofy one who has followed in their father's footsteps by taking up butchering on the side.

Also involved in this group is Dale's wife Carol (Rachel Griffiths). While she romps with Dale when given the opportunity it is apparent that she is making time with Frank as well. Is she doing so in the hopes that he will get Dale and crew out of prison? Or is she doing this to simply further her own personal agenda? Revelations are not offered until the films end.

The trio is released on probation and pull off their latest heist but is identified. In order to make up for this with Frank, they must pull off the biggest job of their careers. Frank has set them up to rob a gathering of bookies following the big race in Australia, the Melbourne Cup.

Plans are made, others are brought in to help and the gang realizes that Frank has been setting them up. Dale is hit with the realization that Frank and Carol are together now and that the men brought in to assist in this job are actually there to kill him and his brothers once the money is nabbed.

The robbery goes off but not without complications. It seems that one of Frank's men has a rather violent side and no remorse at killing anyone he comes face to face with. The job ends in a bloodbath with Dale and the brothers hitting the road with the cash, leaving Frank behind to clean up.

The twists and turns that follow are such that to reveal them here would be to ruin the rest of the film. Let's just say that they involve Frank, Carol and Dale as well as a new love interest for Mal, the least likely of the cast to find romance.

The movie works well in portions only. As a whole it leaves much to be desired. The robberies are well shot and written, containing enough action for fans and enough smarts for those more concerned with the intricacies of the job. The twists are well thought out and run smooth, but for anyone without a rudimentary acquaintance in this genre, the ending is forecast early on.

The acting seems cookie cutter for the majority of the cast with the exceptions of Pearce and Richardson. Pearce has always presented a dynamic persona in most of the films I have seen him in and it is that characteristic that makes Dale believable. The rest of the cast seems wasted at best. No, not intoxicated but unused to their potential.

Is the movie good on the whole? In a roundabout way, sure. It's one of those movies that you rent when you don't see that blockbuster staring you in the face with easy access. For crime film fans it's a must see though. While not the grand film some critics have claimed, it is good entertainment for adults and a well spun yarn.

One thing many viewers in the states don't seem to realize and the reason for the title of this piece. There is a world of film outside of the boundaries of our country but for some reason they don't make their way to our screens. Video/DVD becomes the only outlet for them. Many people are stunned that these other countries make movies the same as they are done here, an ignorant view of the world perhaps but there anyway. Thank goodness that we have the opportunity to see these pictures now more than ever. It's nice to be exposed to film making from other countries with ease. That, if for no other reason, is a slim recommendation for viewing this film.

The three Twentyman brothers are hardened criminals who've spent the last two years in prison for armed robbery. The eldest, Dale (Guy Pearce), is the brains; Mal (Damien Richardson) is a soft and simple butcher; while Shane (Joel Edgerton) is a damaged boy with a short fuse. With the help of their lawyer, some corrupt cops and the prison governor, the brothers are regularly released from prison for the day to conduct a robbery and are then returned to share the spoils: they're never suspected by investigators because officially they were in custody at the time. When their sentences come to an end their lawyer proposes "one last job" - robbing the bookies after that iconic Australian racing event, the Melbourne Cup ...

"The Hard Word" is one of several films of the last few years that challenges the longstanding tacit requirement that Australian movies must be quirky, non-genre and agonizingly "Aussie" while the rest of the world's filmmakers are apparently entitled to make whatever kind of pictures they choose. It's an admirable effort, because while it imports the "one last job" scenario direct from Hollywood, it imbues it with Australian humour, and is played particularly well by the laconic cast, especially Guy Pearce. The plotting and pacing are excellent, and the mix of crime, comedy, violence and even a few romantic subplots make for a genuinely enjoyable and impressive first feature from writer-director Scott Roberts. The versatile Guy Pearce gives a revelatory performance, while Rachel Griffiths extends her comic range as Carol, the gangsters' moll. Damien Richardson and Joel Edgerton are wonderfully weird as the brothers, and Robert Taylor is perfectly vile as their smarmy lawyer. A great night in.

Resolutely Australian, brash, funny, irreverent, alternately devilish and angelic and at times disgusting, "The Hard Word" is nonetheless full of life...in an electrode to the spinal cord kind of way. It is definitely on the side of the bad boys though, the thieves who happen to be brothers: Guy Pearce as Dale, looking as if he never sleeps, never washes his hair nor brushes his teeth but still somehow holds on to the love of his wife Carol (Rachel Griffiths), Shane (Joel Edgerton), a Kurt Russel look-alike with Elvis sideburns and with an anger management problem as big as all outdoors and Mal (Damien Richardson) a butcher who looks to Sweeney Todd for inspiration. By the way, they are all recently released guests of the Australian prison system encouraged to participate in that one final heist that will bring in enough cash for them all to retire.
We've had a rash of heist,double/tripe cross caper films of late but none has the finger-in-the-nose, sloppily efficient bravura of "The Hard Word." It's a puppy dog of a movie inhabited with Dobermans, Pit bulls and Rottweilers.
Director Scott Roberts III has injected gallons of adrenaline and cock-eyed optimism into this movie to fuel several films. That he keeps us firmly on the side of the supposed "bad guys" only attests to the humanity and inspired intellectualism of his direction.

The Hard Word (Scott Roberts, 2002)

Amusing little heist flick most notable on the surface for the presence of Guy Pearce, who despite both commercial (Memento) and critical (L. A. Confidential) success early in his career, still seems quite underused in the film biz. On the other side of that coin, he's one of those actors whose very presence serves to tell you you should see a film, and pronto.

In this one, Pearce plays Dale, one of three brothers doing time for armed robbery. The others are Mal (Noise's Damien Richardson) and Shane (Joel Edgerton from Star Wars II and III), come off as the brawn of the operation, while Dale is the brains. Frank (The Matrix's Robert Taylor), their lawyer, is working on getting them out, as he usually does when he has a proposition for them. And, as usual, it's entirely illegal; Frank is not your typical lawyer. To complicate things, he's also sleeping with Dale's wife Carol (Rachel Griffiths of TV's Brothers and Sisters). Frank also has ideas about how this job is going to go, and those ideas go against the brothers' principles. It's one of those things that you just know isn't going to end well, and sure enough, Murphy's Law rears its ugly head. To Roberts' credit, it does so in the most entertaining of ways.

This may be Roberts' directorial debut, but he's written screenplays before, and the experience shows (despite none of the other movies being all that hot). There's a good deal of fun to be had here, and the plotting is impeccable. The whole lawyer's-fling-with-client's-wife is a little convenient, and never quite rings true, but the characters involved are all realistic and well-drawn, and the heist plot is great. If you missed this one the first time around, it's worth seeking out now. *** ½