The Hard Word (2002)

The Hard Word (2002)
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Three brothers who would argue that crime does pay have a hard time getting their fair share of the proceeds in this witty action thriller from Australia. Dale Twentyman (Guy Pearce) and his brothers, Mal (Damien Richardson) and Shane (Joel Edgerton), are serving time together in prison for robbery. Dale is the brains and the cool head of the group, Mal is the eager-to-please nice guy, and Shane is something of a loose cannon. Dale and his siblings are eager to get out of jail, and their lawyer, Frank Malone (Robert Taylor), has pulled a deal that could pare some time off their sentences, though the arrangement is strictly off the books. Mick Kelly (Vince Colosimo) and Jack O'Riordan (Paul Sonkkila) are a pair of crooked police detectives who have arranged with Malone to give the Twentyman brothers day passes from jail in order to pull bank robberies, with the siblings' share held in escrow until they're released. Dale thinks something a bit off in this operation, and his suspicions are confirmed when Malone tells the brothers after they're granted their early release that they won't get their money until they pull one last job -- an ambitious robbery at a Melbourne race track on the day of the nation's biggest horse race. Dale is convinced he smells a rat -- especially since he has good reason to suspect that Malone is having an affair with his wife, Carol (Rachel Griffiths). The Hard Word marked the directorial debut for writer/director Scott Roberts. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Starring:
Guy PearceRachel Griffiths, (more)
Director(s):
Scott Roberts
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
R
Format(s):
DVD  | Digital SD & HD
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Synopsis of The Hard Word

Three brothers who would argue that crime does pay have a hard time getting their fair share of the proceeds in this witty action thriller from Australia. Dale Twentyman (Guy Pearce) and his brothers, Mal (Damien Richardson) and Shane (Joel Edgerton), are serving time together in prison for robbery. Dale is the brains and the cool head of the group, Mal is the eager-to-please nice guy, and Shane is something of a loose cannon. Dale and his siblings are eager to get out of jail, and their lawyer, Frank Malone (Robert Taylor), has pulled a deal that could pare some time off their sentences, though the arrangement is strictly off the books. Mick Kelly (Vince Colosimo) and Jack O'Riordan (Paul Sonkkila) are a pair of crooked police detectives who have arranged with Malone to give the Twentyman brothers day passes from jail in order to pull bank robberies, with the siblings' share held in escrow until they're released. Dale thinks something a bit off in this operation, and his suspicions are confirmed when Malone tells the brothers after they're granted their early release that they won't get their money until they pull one last job -- an ambitious robbery at a Melbourne race track on the day of the nation's biggest horse race. Dale is convinced he smells a rat -- especially since he has good reason to suspect that Malone is having an affair with his wife, Carol (Rachel Griffiths). The Hard Word marked the directorial debut for writer/director Scott Roberts. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Theatrical Feature Running Time:
103 mins

Complete Cast of The Hard Word


Director(s):
Scott Roberts
Writer(s):
Scott Roberts
Producer(s):
Al Clark
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
R(Sexual Situations, Substance Abuse, Profanity, Graphic Violence)
Warning:  This product is intended for mature audiences only. It may contain violence, sexual content, drug abuse and/or strong language. You must be 17 or older to purchase it. By ordering this item you are certifying that you are at least 17 years of age.

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    Member Reviews
     
    Ann T.

    Fairly well trodden story line, but the character develoment was endearing. Being an Australian I liked the locations and - hey I'm a Guy Pearce fan OK! Remember Memento?

    Yes   |   No

     
    Michael S.

    What little suspense there is, a 10 year old can figure out. The director fills time with useles character delopement, but you just want the predictable plot to unfold in the hopes that the co-star will at least show some cleavage. Which she doesn't, by the way.

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    Thomas B.

    The Hard Word is not a very good movie. It does have English sub-titles which some blokes may wish to use since a lot of Australian slang is used in this picture. There are no nice people in this film. Everyone is a criminal. This movie is violent and has brief nudity. There are several gross scenes which have nothing to do with what little plot there is. Somehow you get released from prison to pull robberies set up by a couple of prison guards and a lawyer. No preparation or thought. In less than a hour your are stealing millions and than everybody is killing or conning everybody else. Nothing is done in any clever or interesting way. Even Rachel Griffiths as the tart wife of one of the jailbirds is wasted in this picture. Do we really need her to stick her finger you know where and than draw a smiley face on the glass partition that separates her from her husband in the prison. Please!

    Yes   |   No

     
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