Film Reviews

The Hard Word

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Guy Pearce
• Details: Aus / 104 mins / (18).

A sparky little heist thriller that benefits greatly from a desperately cynical sense of humour, The Hard Word riffs off familiar sources but manages to weave some fresh directions. In another marvellous performance, Guy Pearce plays Dale Twentyman, one of a trio of law-breaking brothers who all get paroled on the same day. Coincidence? Hardly as the trio of siblings have been pulling jobs for the governor, their lawyer and a couple of bent coppers for some time. Desperate to win their permanent freedom and a cut of the bounty they have been quietly amassing, the brothers agree to undertake the infamous one final score for their paymasters. Which isn't made any easier by the fact that Dale is convinced his wife, Carol (the superb Griffiths) is sleeping with his lawyer.
Although it seems almost unnecessary to point out that things don't turn out the way you'd expect, The Hard Word displays a frisky sense of style, thanks to the tight script and direction exercised by Scott Roberts. What separates the film from a legion of knock-off heist competitors is that the writer-director is more interested in characters than cheap narrative tricks. This can occasionally lead to some narrative befuddlement, but there are enough moments of genuine inspiration in this rough enthusiastic film to make it sharply entertaining viewing. Give it a blast, you won't regret it.

Review by Garreth Murphy