The Hard Word

Scott Roberts

2002

Synopsis

Three fraternal bank robbers, languishing in jail, discover a profitable (if not dodgy) way to spend their time. Crime can most certainly pay, if you "know wot I mean?" However when sex and greed rear-up between the good crims and the bad cops, the consequences are both bizarre and fatal.

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Recommendations

75
San Francisco Chronicle
Tense and compelling, with the added charm of a mischievous spirit.
60
Chicago Reader
At times the plot developments in this post-Tarantino story seem so random they suggest automatic writing, but the characters and some of the settings kept me interested.
58
Portland Oregonian
Though The Hard Word feels flimsy at times, its breeziness and humor, along with Pearce's performance, make it infinitely more amusing than it's got any right to be. You get the feeling that these actors had fun making this film, and that fun is contagious.
50
New York Daily News
I may be wrong, but I think Guy Pearce is wearing Nicole Kidman's false nose in The Hard Word. Whatever it is that's on his face, it looks like a dead cod and won't win him an Oscar.
50
Village Voice
Convoluted yet simple-minded, the movie frequently equates verbosity with wit.
50
Christian Science Monitor
The film would work better if its story unfolded more swiftly and if its twists were more unexpected. The acting is solid, though.
50
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Even a one-two punch from Australian stars Guy Pearce and Rachel Griffiths, who are wryly good in this crime caper, can't keep it from sinking into a cavern of cliches.
42
Entertainment Weekly
An Australian crime caper that's one part ''Sexy Beast,'' one part ''The Full Monty,'' and three parts very flat soda.