Rating: 
Summary: Turn on the subtitles!
Review: THE HARD WORD (or words, meaning no one gets hurt) is a dandy little Australian film that tells a entertaining tale about three brothers who are periodically let out of prison to do 'jobs' for an outsider (in fact, a lawyer who is sleeping with the girfriend [Rachel Grifiths] of one of the brothers [Guy Pierce]). Each of the three brothers has a distinct personality which is well played by the generally excellent cast: this comraderie of the brothers makes the story clever, very funny at times, and warmly engaging. The film seems like a low budget romp but the cast and director and writer play it to the hilt. The main problem is with the exceedingly heavy Australian outback accents which, when superimposed on a musical score and soundtrack that is far too loud, are nearly undecipherable. Turn on the subtitles option on the DVD and you'll have a much better time enjoying this caper.
Rating: 
Summary: Australian Films are great
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Australian Films are great
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: The story got sillier and sillier. Finally I turned it off.
Review: This Australian film is the kind of film I usually like. It's fast paced and action filled and has to do with an outrageous caper. The plot is about three brothers, one of whom is Guy Pearce. They are all in prison and, because their lawyer is in cahoots with the warden, they get released occasionally to do a heist. Their lawyer is a sleaze and out to have them murdered. He's also having an affair with Rachel Griffiths, who is cast as Guy Pearce's wife.There is one large problem with this film. I don't know if it was the Australian slang or the sound quality, but I just couldn't understand it. I actually had to put on the English subtitles, which were created for the hard-of-hearing and included things like "sound of car door opening" or they gave the name of the person speaking as well as the dialog. Also, the story just got sillier and sillier and I found myself bored and falling asleep. I actually saw only about half of it, but couldn't bear to rewind and continue watching. I therefore can't recommend this film at all.
Rating:
Summary: The story got sillier and sillier. Finally I turned it off.
Review: This Australian film is the kind of film I usually like. It's fast paced and action filled and has to do with an outrageous caper. The plot is about three brothers, one of whom is Guy Pearce. They are all in prison and, because their lawyer is in cahoots with the warden, they get released occasionally to do a heist. Their lawyer is a sleaze and out to have them murdered. He's also having an affair with Rachel Griffiths, who is cast as Guy Pearce's wife. There is one large problem with this film. I don't know if it was the Australian slang or the sound quality, but I just couldn't understand it. I actually had to put on the English subtitles, which were created for the hard-of-hearing and included things like "sound of car door opening" or they gave the name of the person speaking as well as the dialog. Also, the story just got sillier and sillier and I found myself bored and falling asleep. I actually saw only about half of it, but couldn't bear to rewind and continue watching. I therefore can't recommend this film at all.
Rating:
Summary: The Hard Truth
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: The Hard Truth
Review: 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.
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