The Hard Word

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.