The Hard Word (2002)

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 ... See full summary »

Director:

Scott Roberts

Writer:

Scott Roberts

Stars:

Guy Pearce, Rachel Griffiths, Joel Edgerton

5 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Guy Pearce	...	Dale Twentyman
Rachel Griffiths	...	Carol Twentyman
Robert Taylor	...	Frank Malone
Joel Edgerton	...	Shane Twentyman
Damien Richardson	...	Mal Twentyman
Rhondda Findleton	...	Jane Moore
Kate Atkinson	...	Pamela
Vince Colosimo	...	Det. Mike Kelly
Paul Sonkkila	...	Det. Jack O'Riordan
Kim Gyngell	...	Paul
Dorian Nkono	...	Tarzan
Stephen Whittaker	...	Rawson
Torquil Neilson	...	Mick
Don Bridges	...	Doug
Doug Bowles	...	Bill

Storyline

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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Plot Keywords:

sex | prison escape | shootout | thief | counsellor | 

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Taglines:

In a word, they're gone.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Media Kit

Country:

Australia UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 June 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Blood and Guts

Filming Locations:

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$9,422 (USA) (13 June 2003)

Gross:

$422,688 (USA) (1 August 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alibi Films, Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC), Wildheart Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Cinevex)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is considered an Ozploitation picture, an Australian exploitation movie.

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Quotes

Mal Twentyman: It really shits me, tracking us all the way out here just to rub it in our faces.
Shane Twentyman: He is just being Frank. He can't help himself. He *has* to fuck you.
Mal Twentyman: I'm sick of getting fucked.
Shane Twentyman: I'm never getting fucked again.
Dale Twentyman: We're getting fucked right now.
Mal Twentyman: Fuck!

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Crazy Credits

without whom ... Andrena Finlay

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Connections

Referenced in The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: Guy Pearce (2003)

User Reviews

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."