Hard Ward is coherent and sometimes even clever, but it's also a late entry in a genre that's been flogged nearly to death.
The Hard Word (2003)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:81
Fresh:32
Rotten:49
Average Rating:5.5/10
Consensus: This caper flick lacks the originality necessary to elevate it above other films of its genre.
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis:
Three prisoners are about to be released on bail - DALE (GUY PEARCE), MAL (DAMIEN RICHARDSON) and SHANE (JOEL EDGERTON). Meet the Twentyman brothers. Hard experience and an unspoken bond of...
Three prisoners are about to be released on bail - DALE (GUY PEARCE), MAL (DAMIEN RICHARDSON) and SHANE (JOEL EDGERTON). Meet the Twentyman brothers. Hard experience and an unspoken bond of family have made them masters of their craft - armed robbery. It's a job and they do it because they're good at it. Their only rule is, no one gets hurt.
Keeping the wheels of crime turning is their long-time criminal lawyer, FRANK MALONE (ROBERT TAYLOR), who combines flashy arrogance with a complete disregard for the proper process of the law. Frank's network of contacts enables him to play the brothers and the system to perfection. But success has clearly gone to his head when he starts screwing Dale's wife, CAROL (RACHEL GRIFFITHS). Dazzled by her physical attractiveness, Frank has severely underestimated the brain underneath the blonde. Carol is one of life's greatest operators and she is determined to get what's hers.
The brothers are out on bail, only long enough to do one job before they are back behind bars because of a problem with the 'paperwork'. Of course Frank will get them out but there's a catch. They must do a really big job if it is to be their last. Dale's festering suspicion about Frank's motives, and a bout with food poisoning, create an impossible situation leading up to a multi-million dollar heist. The job is to take place in Melbourne. Frank has lined up some local criminals to work with them, to the displeasure of the brothers. Up against the wall and with no way out, the boys proceed with the ambitious robbery, despite some dark misgivings. When it all goes wrong, the brothers discover the full extent of Frank's treachery as they make a desperate escape from the surrounding havoc. Breaking free of Melbourne in a hijacked car, the brothers have plenty of time to think on the long road back to Sydney. Although they have the money, they know Frank will not be far behind. And he isn't. And neither is Carol.
Starring: Guy Pearce, Rachel Griffiths, Robert Taylor, Damien Richardson
Starring: Guy Pearce, Rachel Griffiths, Robert Taylor, Damien Richardson, Joel Edgerton
Director: Scott Roberts
Director: Scott Roberts
Screenwriter: Scott Roberts
Producer: Al Clark, Gareth Jones, Hilary Davis
Studio: Lions Gate Films
Reviews for The Hard Word
You get the feeling that these actors had fun making this film, and that fun is contagious.
This movie could obviously go on fooling us forever, but we are good sports only up to a point, and then our attention drifts.
The Hard Word strains to be light on its feet but piles too much on its plate: characters come and go, changing personality at the director's whim, and you're never quite sure who's getting the shaft.
There isn't much about the movie that "a more good-natured, Australian-flavored LOCK, STOCK & 2 SMOKING BARRELS" doesn't sum up.
Boasts enough originality and excellent performances to merit a look-see, especially from fans who love 'heist-gone-bad' flicks.
Your brain may wander off elsewhere before the movie has a chance to get rolling.
Treads too closely to Quentin Tarentino and Guy Ritchie turf to claim much original thought.
It's the kind of predictable programmer that used to fill the bottom half of double bills, but it's worth the effort to catch Ms. Griffiths.
The entire cast perform ably, but Mr. Pearce and Ms. Griffiths ... are something special in their native habitat.
a mish-mash of post-mod noir ideas (the butcher, the redeemed femme, cannibalism) arranged with little respect for rhyme and reason.
Odd details certainly enliven the film, but their purpose in it is not always clear.
It would be hard not to feel something for such a lively outlaw crew.
Like an Australian Ocean's Eleven, which is still better than an American version of The Italian Job.
A smart, frisky bauble, as funny as it is entertaining without resorting to elaborate red herrings or hoaxes.
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