The Hard Word (2002)

Director:

Scott Roberts

Writer:

Scott Roberts (writer)

Release Date:

27 June 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

All It Takes Is A Little Persuasion

Plot:

Three fraternal bank robbers languishing in jail, discover a profitable (if not dodgy) way to spend their time...

Plot Keywords:

Sex | Nurse | Waitress | Escape | Australia

Awards:

5 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Guy Pearce	...	Dale
Rachel Griffiths	...	Carol
Robert Taylor	...	Frank
Joel Edgerton	...	Shane
Damien Richardson	...	Mal
Rhondda Findleton	...	Jane
Kate Atkinson	...	Pamela
Vince Colosimo	...	Kelly
Paul Sonkkila	...	O'Riordan
Kim Gyngell	...	Paul
Dorian Nkono	...	Tarzan
Stephen Whittaker	...	Rawson
Torquil Neilson	...	Mick
Don Bridges	...	Doug
Doug Bowles	...	Bill

Also Known As:

Blood and Guts (Australia) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, language, sexuality and brief drug use.

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

Australia | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Cinevex)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:18 | USA:TV-MA (cable rating) | Australia:MA | Canada:14A | Germany:16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Alibi Films

Quotes:

Mal Twentyman: I always said you were a sport. Didn't I always say that?
Carol Twentyman: Yeah, you did. You always said that.
Shane Twentyman: *I* always said you were a scheming bitch.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Daily Show: (2003-06-09)" (2003)

Heist Movie Down Under

"The Hard Word" is a gritty, sexy, Australian take on the double-crossing heist movie.

We get to hear Guy Pearce (long-haired and greasy) and Rachel Griffiths (blonde and wet) go native in their accents in an entertainingly original script by first-time director Scott Roberts.

While not the first film to have quirky brothers-in-crime as the comfortable loyalty fulcrum, the familial psychological pathologies make for a nice counterpoint to the friends', foes', and femme fatale's twists and turns. There's more jokes and ironic humor than even the violence, which helps to block out some quizzical plot turns.

The movie never tells us that the title is Ozzie slang, among other blunt phrases used throughout (such as the tendency of Ozzie blokes to affectionately call each other the "c" word). My Down Under friend Bronwyn translates (used with her permission): "In it's 'ultimate' usage it means to pressure someone for sex. If you were talking to a girlfriend who went out on a date with someone new, you might ask 'did he put the hard word on?' However, it is sometimes also used just in a general sense of exerting pressure. In fact, it was in a headline in our local suburban paper ("The Leader") yesterday: 'Minister puts the hard word on district pollies [politicians].' An article about the State Minister for Local Government pushing the local councils to sort out boundary reforms."